BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhuanet) -- More than one-fourth of Americans are obese, an all time high percentage of people suffering from obesity in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    "The proportion of U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008. The obesity rate in 2007 was 25.6 percent," the CDC said in a statement Wednesday.

    The CDC's telephone survey report "Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System" involved more than 400,000 U.S. adults who reported their height and weight.

    The results showed that adult obesity, above 30 percent, is most common in Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Colorado is the only state in the nation where less than 20 percent of adults are obese.

    "If this trend continues we will likely see increases in healthcare costs for obesity-related diseases," said the CDC's Liping Pan, who headed the study.

    One of the negative effects of the Great Recession may be that American consumers are turning to cheaper, and often unhealthier, fast food options in greater number than ever before.

    As the waistline of the Americans is increasing-- presumably as they are turning to cheaper, unhealthy diet because of recession-- they are at higher risk for a variety of disease such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

(Agencies)