Happy Thanksgiving! 75% of U.S. adults are are officially overweight or obese

This year’s holiday feast has an extra serving of news: Three in four American adults are now considered overweight or obese. As tempting as that second helping of pie might be, stats suggest America’s collective health is at a tipping point.

This eye-opener comes from new research published in The Lancet. The study looked at data on human body size and shape from 134 unique sources. And it found something that we all kind of were expecting: 75% of adults in the U.S. are overweight. But this is not the scary part. The study found that kids and adolescents don’t have a bright future if things don’t change. Researchers project that by 2050, about 80% of Americans could be in the same boat. This is a scary number as that percentage sums up to roughly 260 million people.

Can we trust studies like this, however? How do they know who is overweight? Well, they have a scientific method for that. The researchers define “overweight” and “obese” based on body mass index (B.M.I), but some criticize this measure for its occasional inaccuracy. It’s true that the B.M.I can be inaccurate when measuring the population’s body shape, but it’s accurate when calculating body fat. So, as unpleasant as it sounds, Dr. Marie Ng, co-author of the study, is right: Obesity is indeed “an epidemic” in America.

Let’s be honest, the study’s findings don’t take us by surprise. We all know what the American lifestyle is about. How many fast-food chains are there? How convenient is it to find a drive-thru or order food? Not to mention the advertisements fast food chains have been running for years. There are many options available for Americans to practice a healthy lifestyle, but is it enough? The study argues that this issue is less about individual willpower and more about a tangled web of factors that make it harder for Americans to stay healthy.

So, think of the study as an effort to raise awareness about the issue. Researchers say that the metrics point to larger, systemic issues. Sedentary lifestyles, excessive calorie intake, socioeconomic factors, and food industry practices are the driving forces behind the rising numbers of obese adults. We have to stay optimistic, however. Experts are looking for solutions that can turn the tide before the nation reaches an 80% obesity rate. They are pushing for targeted, large-scale interventions. The study cites initiatives from organizations like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the CDC to invest in community health, food education, and most important of all, policies that will stop unhealthy industry practices.

As expected, when money is involved, there will be obstacles. Obesity medications like Ozempic have become a trend. It’s hard to see how manufacturers will let the CDC promote a healthy lifestyle that will effectively lessen and eventually nullify the need for obesity medications. Greed will always ruin things. It’s true that these medications help people overcome obesity and diabetes, but as the study says, they “should not be viewed as a cure for the obesity pandemic.” Researchers recommend an approach that starts with legislative action — an approach that pushes for healthier systems in schools, neighborhoods, and food industries.

Will lawmakers support this approach? Well, that remains to be seen. Let’s just hope lawmakers will ignore lobbying from the food industry and obesity medication manufacturers to think about human beings and their worsening health for once.