Baby boomers may outlive their kids (USA)

"Because of rising obesity rates among young people, more and more baby boomers may outlive their children. A new study shows that a generational shift in obesity rates is setting the younger generation up for shorter life and poorer health in comparison to their parents. 'Our research indicates that higher numbers of young and middle-age American adults are becoming obese at younger and younger ages,' researcher Joyce Lee, MD, MPH, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, says in a news release. Researchers found that 20% of people born between 1966 and 1985 were obese in their 20s, an obesity prevalence milestone not reached by their parents until their 30s or by their grandparents until their 40s or 50s. That means more Americans are getting heavier earlier in their lives and carrying the extra pounds for longer periods of time, which suggests that the impact for chronic disease and life expectancy may be worse than previously thought. In the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers compared national obesity rates for children and adults born between 1926 and 2005."