CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Imagine a world where almost half of all Americans are obese — where diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease run rampant.
You may not have to use your imagination for long.
A new Duke University study on obesity predicts 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030. What’s more, 11 percent will be morbidly obese. That means weighing at least twice their ideal body weight.
But you don’t have to wait 20 years to see what’s happening.
“Our office gets 20 calls a day from people looking for surgery,” said Dr. Thomas Karl Byrne.
He’s a bariatric surgeon at MUSC.
“It’s an absolute epidemic.”
So what’s the cause? Why are people getting so heavy?
“It’s not one thing, ” said Dr. Byrne. “It’s a multitude of problems. First, we are eating toxic foods, processed foods, fast foods, foods that are addictive.”
Think about it. How many kids are growing up on chicken fingers simply because they’re cheap and convenient?