Unlike what some in the media are claiming, obesity – not coronavirus – is almost certainly the biggest killer in America.

* It is responsible for about 600,000 or 20% of the approximate 3 million Americans that die each year.

* According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, obesity was associated with nearly 1 in 5 deaths (18.2%) among adults in the United States from 1986 through 2006.

* In 2017, more than 100 million Americans (80+ million adults and 20+ million children) were obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And the prevalence of obesity rose steadily from 19.4% in 1997 to 31.4% in 2017.

* The prevalence of obesity is greater in some minority groups, including Pima Indians, Mexican Americans, and African Americans.