Health
Obesity most prevalent in these 3 southern cities
America is struggling with an obesity problem, as nearly 42% of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Whether this is due to lack of healthy food items and education or easy access to fast food, obesity-related healthcare costs in America have grown to $190.2 billion, the National League of Cities recently reported.
In a new WalletHub study, 100 of the most populated metropolitan areas were compared to 19 key indicators of weight-related problems to reveal which U.S. cities are the most overweight and obese in 2025.
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The analysis then ranked each city on three dimensions: obesity and overweight, health consequences, and food and fitness.
“Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S., and it’s costing us big time,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, who is based in South Carolina, said in a statement.
WalletHub’s data set for this study ranged from “the share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2030 to healthy food access.” (iStock)
“In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreation opportunities, so investing in those areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regimens and reduce the financial burden overall.”
Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Severe obesity is defined as having a BMI of 40 or higher.
The following cities came out on top as the most overweight in the country.
1. McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas, has the second-lowest percentage of residents who live close to parks or recreational facilities, WalletHub found. (iStock)
McAllen, Texas, ranked No. 1 as America’s most overweight city.
Hidalgo County came in first overall, with the highest percentage of obese adults (45%) and physically inactive adults.
McAllen specifically ranked No. 3 for obesity and overweight, as well as food and fitness. It also came in fifth for health consequences.
The study also found that 31% of adults in McAllen are overweight, but not obese.
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The Texas city has the second-highest share of obese teenagers, the analysis found, and the fifth-highest number of obese children.
“McAllen residents are also very affected by diseases related to being [at] an unhealthy weight,” WalletHub called out.
“For example, the city has the eighth-highest share of people with diabetes and the fourth-highest heart disease rate.”
2. Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas, is projected to have the second-highest obesity rate in 2030. (iStock)
Little Rock, Arkansas, ranked as America’s second-most overweight city.
Arkansas’ capital came in fourth for health consequences, fifth for obesity and overweight, and seventh for food and fitness.
The city has the fourth-highest rate of obese children aged 10 to 17 at nearly 23%, as well as high rates of teenage obesity, according to WalletHub.
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Little Rock residents struggle with weight-related conditions, with the fourth-highest percentage of adults with high blood pressure and the fifth-highest rate of heart disease.
The city has the second-lowest numbers of health educators per capita, the study revealed, and limited access to healthy foods.
“The problem will likely remain for the foreseeable future, too, as Little Rock has the second-highest projected obesity rate for 2030,” WalletHub predicted.
3. Jackson, Mississippi
“Not exercising regularly is a big reason why many of Jackson’s residents are overweight and obese,” WalletHub wrote. (iStock)
Jackson, Mississippi, came in as No. 3 overall, but ranked No. 1 in the obesity and overweight benchmark.
The city also has the second-highest percentage of physically inactive adults, which WalletHub considered a “big reason” why many residents are overweight and obese.
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About 37% of adults in Jackson are obese, with high rates of obesity for kids and teens as well.
Among medical conditions, the city has the second-highest percentage of residents that have had a stroke and the sixth-highest rate of high blood pressure.
WalletHub added that many Jackson residents lack easy access to healthy food.
Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Severe obesity is defined as having a BMI of 40 or higher. (iStock)
Cristina Palacios, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at Florida International University, emphasized in a statement the importance of maintaining a healthy diet for weight.
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“My suggestion is to improve one’s diet by taking a critical look at what we eat and drink and plan on how to improve it slowly,” she said. “It is very challenging to change everything at once. Take one action and implement it.”
“For example, you could start by eating all your meals with water instead of juice, sodas, etc.,” she said.
“This may take some time, as many are used to drinking something sweet, but this is a powerful first step, as the calories from beverages are not registered by our brain and one can drink a lot of calories without compensating later in the day.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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