Roundup: More States have Obesity Rates at 35% or Higher, Reports CDC; and More News

U.S. Obesity Prevalence Remains High With More States at 35% or Higher

The prevalence of obesity shows no sign of slowing, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which finds that 23 states had more than one in three adults (35 percent or higher) who were obese in 2023.

More than a decade ago -- before 2013 -- no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent, the CDC stresses. Currently, at least one in five adults (20 percent) in each U.S. state is living with obesity.

Overall, the obesity rate nationally is estimated at 42 percent.

"This new data highlight the need for obesity prevention and treatment options, which start with building healthier communities where people of all ages have safe places for physical activity, and where health care and healthy food options are accessible and affordable for all," said Karen Hacker, M.D/, MPH, director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, in a statement.

An adult with obesity has a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher. Obesity is a disease that can cause or contribute to many health conditions, such as asthma, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and severe outcomes from respiratory illnesses, the CDC states. “In addition, the stigma and bias about a person's weight can cause social and mental health consequences, such as anxiety and poor body image,” the CDC adds.

The number of U.S. adults who died of heart disease with obesity as a contributing factor surged three-fold from 1999 to 2020, according to research published last year in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA).

Obesity impacts some groups more than others. The CDC found that Black adults in 38 states have an obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent (among 46 states, 1 territory, and D.C. ). In 34 states, Hispanic adults have an obesity prevalence at or above 35 percent (among 47 states, 3 territories, and D.C.).

The CDC: The 23 states with the highest adult obesity rates (35 percent or higher) include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Guam and Puerto Rico also had an obesity rate of at least 35 percent. 

Good Heart Health Early In Pregnancy May Offset Even Genetic Risk For Hypertensive Complications

A new study has reaffirmed the importance of maintaining good heart health early in pregnancy, with researchers finding that even those with high genetic risks could prevent dangerous high blood-pressure-related conditions, such as preeclampsia. 

The study concluded that maintaining higher cardiovascular health scores, as measured by a set of health metrics, was linked to a lower risk for gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, which refers to persistent high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period.

Researchers said this was the case “regardless of a woman's genetic risk profile,” according to a news release from the American Heart Association (AHA). The study’s authors emphasize that the findings “underscore the importance of cardiovascular health counseling before and during early pregnancy.”

The study’s findings, which were presented this month at the AHA's Hypertension Scientific Sessions in Chicago, are considered preliminary until full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Researchers reviewed health and genetic risk data for 5,446 first-time mothers who were 27 years-old on average. Cardiovascular health was measured by adherence during the first trimester to the AHA's “Life's Essential 8” -- a set of behaviors to improve and maintain good heart health. The Essential 8 includes eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, not smoking, getting enough sleep and managing weight, cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure.

Women with the highest cardiovascular health scores (not including cholesterol) had a 35 percent to 62 percent lower risk of developing pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders across all genetic risk groups.

States the AHA: “The biggest factors contributing to hypertensive disorders during pregnancy were higher body mass index, high blood pressure and poor diet. The results remained broadly consistent after incorporating cholesterol into the cardiovascular health score for a subset of 2,560 women and when looking at gestational hypertension and preeclampsia separately.”

Moderate Coffee Consumption is Linked to Lower Risk of Cardiometabolic Diseases

Regularly consuming moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee, about three cups a day, may offer a protective effect against developing so-called cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, finds new research published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The study found that regular coffee or caffeine intake, especially at moderate levels, was associated with a lower risk of new-onset cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM), which refers to the coexistence of at least two cardiometabolic diseases. Moderate caffeine intake produces certain metabolites — compounds created when the body digests foods and drinks — that are associated with better heart health.

Previous studies have shown that moderate coffee consumption can be heart healthy – as long as over-consumption of caffeine is avoided. Physicians and dietitians caution everyone with certain underlying health issues to avoid over-caffeinated drinks. A study in 2022 found that drinking two or more cups of coffee a day may double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease among people with severe high blood pressure.

The prevalence of individuals with multiple cardiometabolic diseases, or CM, is becoming an increasing public health concern as populations age around the world, the new study emphasized. Coffee and caffeine consumption could play an important protective role in almost all phases of CM development, researchers found.

The new study found that “compared with non-consumers or consumers of less than 100 mg caffeine per day, consumers of moderate amount of coffee (3 drinks per day) or caffeine (200-300 mg per day) had a 48.1 percent or 40.7 percent reduced risk for new-onset CM,” states a news release on the study.

“Future studies are warranted to validate the implicated metabolic biomarkers underlying the relation between coffee, tea, and caffeine intake and CM,” the study concluded.

Researchers based their findings on data from the U.K. Biobank, a large, detailed dietary study with more than 500,000 participants aged 37-73 years. The study excluded individuals who had ambiguous information on caffeine intake. The final pool of participants included a total of 172,315 individuals who were free of any cardiometabolic diseases at baseline for the analyses of caffeine, and a corresponding 188,091 individuals for the analyses of coffee and tea consumption.

The data for the study included the participants’ self-reported caffeine consumption via coffee or black or green tea, and the cardiometabolic diseases they developed through their primary care data, hospital records and death certificates. Because the study is observational, it can only show a connection between caffeine and heart health. Other factors may be involved in contributing to maintaining or improving heart health, he added.