Mississippi's still fattest but Alabama closing in | Comcast.net

It's that time of year again when the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation publish their annual obesity rates. And for the fifth year in a row, MS leads the way with a 32.5% rate of adult obesity. Not far behind at 31.2% is Alabama. W. VA and TN are in hot pursuit at 31.1% and 30.2%.

At the other end of the spectrum are states that somehow don't surprise you with their relative lack of flab. Colorado is the leanest with an obesity rate or 18.9%, followed by MA, 21.2% and CT, 221.3%

The study shows that in every state, obesity rates among 55-64 year olds are higher than those 65+. This means a major hit on an already strained Medicare system. It is estimated that Medicare spends up to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese.