The obesity epidemic in the United States does not seem to be ending anytime soon, Washington Times noted on Friday.  

Citing a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of states in which at least one-third of the adults were obese had tripled in two years.

Between 2007 and 2009, an additional 2.4 million Americans ages 18 and older had become obese, according to the report. Overall, 26.7 percent of American adults-more than 72 million-were considered obese.

"There isn't a single state that has an obesity prevalence of 15 percent or less, which is the goal set by the federal government's Health People 2010 program," the report said.

The obesity rate varies widely from state to state, ranging from as low as 18.6 percent in Colorado to 34.4 percent in Mississippi. Southern and Midwestern states tend to have higher rates. The obesity rate was 24.2 in Virginia, 26.2 in Maryland and 19.7 in the District in 2009.