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Oct. 10, 2002 -- Southerners may be famous for their hospitality, but they could become infamous for their poor health, according to a new list of America's least healthy states. Seven of the top ten unhealthiest states are south of the Mason-Dixon line, and researchers say an unhealthy lifestyle and high-fat diet are putting the health of the millions who call the South home at risk.

Mississippi topped the list of unhealthy states that was released this week by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), followed by West Virginia and Tennessee. The group compiled the list after analyzing the most recent data from the CDC on the rates of three major health-related killers -- heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

According to PCRM, the least healthy states in the US are:

1. Mississippi
2. West Virginia
3. Tennessee
4. Michigan
5. Louisiana
6. Texas
7. Kentucky
8. Illinois
9. Missouri
10. Arkansas

The PCRM is launching a monthlong healthy eating campaign designed to help the residents of these states lower their risk of disease. The organization has also offered the government of each state a nutrition makeover.

"Americans are in the midst of a health crisis, and, as a physician, it's my job to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment options. In this case, it's a meat-based diet that is putting these folks at risk for diabetes, obesity, and heart disease," says Neal Barnard, MD, president of PCRM, in a news release. "Our studies show that a low-fat, vegetarian diet is the most effective method of treatment and prevention for those diseases. Unfortunately, that prescription has not gotten to those who need it most -- the people in these 10 states." -->