Med Headlines - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the number of Americans classified as obese may be starting to decline after reaching epidemic proportion since the 1980s.

Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Extreme obesity is defined as a BMI of 40 or higher.

While the rate of American obesity is not dropping as dramatically as it rose over the last couple of decades, there is evidence that might have reached a peak.

The adult obesity rate in American adults in 2006 is reported to be about 34%, whereas it was only 15% in 1980. There is a small percentage of the adult population that can be medically classified as extremely obese today although this condition was almost never seen in 1980.

Forty percent of men and women of all races between the ages 40 and 59 are obese today while the general population, both younger and older, currently maintains healthier weight levels.

Race makes a difference for women, however. More than half the African-American women between the ages of 20 and 59 are obese. Sixty percent of those over the age of 60 are obese.

By contrast, 32% of non-Hispanic white women in the same age group are obese, as are 37% of Mexican-American women.

The rate of obesity in adult men does not vary significantly according to either race or age.

Sixty-five percent of obese adults report health care providers tell them that they are “overweight.” Obese women are more likely to get this message than obese men.

Current figures have remained relatively stable since 2003.