The economic downsides to having a fatter nation are starting to be seen in the United States.
There are hundreds of facets of everyday life that are being affected by having such an overweight population, ranging from heavy-duty toilets that can accommodate larger hindquarters to buses burning more fuel.
Naturally the healthcare costs of having a fat population are increasing dramatically; a recently released analysis shows that obese people spend approximately $1100 more per year than people within the healthy weight range.
A more cynical view of the situation however would say that having an obese population is to their economic benefit, if not to the USA’s overall health or international image. Money from overweight people goes to doctors, car manufacturers (to account for the increase wear-and-tear on vehicles) and the like.
The long term benefits and deficits are still unclear, though it is unlikely that this trend will result in global economic dominance for the US.
