Report: Being fat makes us waste more than a billion gallons of gas every year

Fuel is being consumed at an alarming rate in the U.S., and research strongly suggests, and on some points proves, that the obesity epidemic in America is at the root of the problem.

One particular statistic sheds a lot of light on the severity of this issue: Over one billion gallons of gas have been wasted in the past 6 years, directly in relation to the growth of the number of obese people in the U.S. In 2006, a study was done on the driving habits of obese people. At that time, a quarter of the population in each of 21 U.S. states was obese. This number today has gone up to a quarter of the population in each of 35 states, with more then a third of the population in 12 states now obese.

Furthermore, 39 million extra gallons of gas are used per year for each additional pound a vehicle has to move. Research also reflects that the more car-dependent a society is the more the society will probably weigh.

In order to begin to correct this specific economic issue, the population needs to get healthier, and public transportation needs to expand beyond heavily populated urban areas. The problem with obesity in this country is a very thick matter, however, and stretches far beyond fuel consumption, but if it goes unaddressed, it will continue to severely impact the economy overall

– By: Alexandra Koken

Source: The Atlantic