Fat Nation: Canadians are heavier, wider, weaker

Canadians of all ages are heavier, bigger-bellied, weaker and, by every conceivable measure, less fit than they were a generation ago, according to grim new data from Statistics Canada.

The first comprehensive, directly measured look at the fatness and fitness of Canadians in decades reveals that between 1981 and 2009, the average weight of a 45-year-old man ballooned by 20 pounds and his waist size swelled by almost three inches. The average 45-year-old woman is carrying an extra 12 pounds and three unwelcome inches have been added to her waist.

In fact, for Canadians, being overweight – meaning 25 per cent or more of their body weight is fat – is now the norm by age 36.

All told, 61 per cent of adults are considered to be overweight or obese, according to a pair of studies published in Health Reports.

Children and youth are faring no better, data collected in the Canadian Health Measures Survey show.

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