More Americans say they are on a special diet compared with Americans about 10 years ago. That information comes from a report released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. The increased dieting comes at a time when obesity levels continue to rise. The CDC report found that 17 percent of Americans said they were on diets in 2017-2018, up from 14 percent about 10 years earlier. Over the same period, obesity levels increased in the U.S. to 42 percent, up from 34 percent. Dana Hunnes is a professor of public health and nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hunnes said that the number of Americans who said that they are on a diet is lower than expected. This is because diet-related diseases are very common in the country. The report noted that about half of American adults have diet-related health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Overall, more women reported being on a diet than men. The heavier and more educated people were, the more likely they were to report being on a special diet, the study found.