The "Health, United States, 2005" report from the National Center for Health Statistics contains grim news for baby boomers in the 55-64 range. This is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and these statistics could therefore provide a picture of the future of the nation's health as a whole.

Half with High Blood Pressure, Two-Fifths Obese

Half of the Americans currently in their Baby Boomer years have high blood pressure and 40 percent of them are obese. And they have severe health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, more often too.

Chronic Diseases Plague African-Americans and Hispanics

Especially hurt by chronic, crippling disease during the Baby Boomer years are African-Americans and Hispanics. Many of them also lack health insurance.

Frightening Statistics

Other lowlights from the study:

• Some 20 percent of patients older than age 59 suffer from diabetes
• Only a third of adults exercise actively
• Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs tripled over a seven-year period
• The rate of obesity and overweight among adults ages 20-74 (based on numbers collected between 1999-2002) shot up to a frightening 65 percent