The South is rising again — when it comes to America’s waistlines.
Southern states have packed the top seven spots in a new ranking of the nation’s most overweight and obese states, with West Virginia claiming the dubious title.
A staggering 42% of adults in the Mountain State are obese, while another nearly 32% are overweight — meaning nearly three out of four adults fall into one of those categories, according to a new WalletHub report.
The state also has some of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in the nation.
Mississippi waddled into second place, with 40.6% of adults classified as obese and another 31.9% overweight — followed by Arkansas, 39.5% of residents obese and 34% overweight.
Louisiana and Alabama landed fourth and fifth, respectively, while Tennessee and Kentucky rounded out the South’s sweep of the top seven.
Maine was the first state outside the South to crack the top 10, at No. 8, followed by Delaware and Texas.
The study, which included Washington, DC for a list of 51, was based on 31 measurable factors, including obesity rates, projected diabetes cases, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and access to healthy foods.
But there’s some good news for New York and New Jersey.
The Empire State ranked 37th, while the Garden State came in at No. 41 — putting both well below the nation’s most corpulent.
Colorado earned bragging rights as America’s least overweight state, followed by Utah, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Minnesota.
The flabby findings were announced during November’s National Diabetes Awareness Month, as obesity continues to take a massive bite out of America’s health care budget — costing an estimated $173 billion annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to WalletHub’s analysis, the problems of obesity in America are being fed by many factors — most notably unhealthy diets, limited access to nutritious food and a shortage of exercise facilities.
But Americans don’t need expensive gym memberships or fancy diet plans.
Dr. Andrew Burnstine, a professor at Lynn University, said the biggest mistake people make is attempting to shed pounds too quickly.
“The crash diet is good for a month, then real life shows up. Get your numbers checked. Blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol,” he said. “You can’t fix what you’re not measuring. Then set a goal you can actually hit.”
