The CDC has released a new body mass index chart for severely obese kids. In the US, over 4.5 million children are severely obese. The CDC’s new BMI charts extend to 60, and the previously used charts only went to 37. Obesity has increased significantly among children over the past 40 years. During the four-year period in 1980, 5.5% of children ages 2 to 19 were obese and 1.3% were severely obese. By 2018, 19.3% of kids were obese and 6.1% were severely obese, according to the NCHS. This stat shows how bad the problem of obesity in America is. Doctors in the US are also suggesting that obese children above the age of 12 should start taking weight loss medication, and in some cases, getting surgery. This drug they have developed for weight loss is proven to help lower BMI by 16%. The drug affects how the pathways between the brain and the gut regulate energy. This may be beneficial to many that have trouble getting out of morbid obesity. While obesity is partly a lifestyle problem, it is mostly biological. “What it offers patients is the possibility of even having an almost normal body mass index,” said Fox, also a weight management specialist at the University of Minnesota. “It’s like a whole different level of improvement.” This new drug can help people lose weight that they may not have been able to lose before. The normalization of unhealthy lifestyles is growing. Though some can not help their obesity, most can. Your lifestyle can determine your health. There needs to be a change in how Americans live their lives.