Number of obese Americans to climb to 42% by 2030

Forty-two percent of Americans will be obese by 2030, and the swelling ranks of the rotund could end up costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars, NY Daily News reported.

The scary statistics are revealed in a study released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently more than a third of Americans are obese and the number is rising, particularly in men and the elderly.

Buried in the CDC’s research is a nugget of good news. Even though the number of obese Americans continues to go up, it’s starting to go up at a slower rate.

The slowdown is a small victory in the fight for better health. Were obesity to rise at the same rapid rate it has in the last two decades, half the US population would be obese by 2030, the study found.

The CDC’s study looked at the ramifications of the obesity crisis, including its economic impact. If the problem isn't curbed, it could cost the country $550 billion in health care costs over the next 20 years, researchers found.