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Why extra weight—not just obesity—matters

“American adults just keep getting fatter,” proclaimed the New York Times headline on March 23rd.

“New data shows that nearly 40 percent of them were obese in 2015 and 2016, a sharp increase from a decade earlier, federal health officials reported Friday.” True, but that’s not the whole story.

It is troubling that almost 40 percent of adults have obesity. But most media reports neglected to mention that the rest of us aren’t exactly trim.