MONTPELIER, Vt. — America’s getting fatter, and so is New England. In a new study of obesity by the Trust for America’s Health released Thursday, Vermont ranked 45th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. New Hampshire was listed as 33rd fattest and Maine ranked 27th, the plumpest state in New England.

“The fact that Vermont ranks better than most other states is little comfort,” said Dr. Harry Chen, the state’s health commissioner. “This report clearly demonstrates that a concerted public health approach to this epidemic is more important than ever.”

Health officials see a troubling trend in the way that obesity has grown nationwide. In Vermont, the portion of the population described as obese is up about 75 percent since 1995. But Vermont ranks 48th in the growth of its obesity rate. New Hampshire ranks 22nd and Maine 28th. It may be a surprise Vermont ranks as well as it does, given that it’s the home of Ben & Jerry’s, Lake Champlain Chocolates, a wealth of full-bodied microbrews and a host of other tasty temptations.

“You can have one small piece of our dark chocolate and feel pretty satiated,” said Meghan Fitzpatrick, spokeswoman for Lake Champlain Chocolates, based in Burlington.

“Of course, we always want people to come back for more.”

Lake Champlain Chocolates will be featured at a festival along the lake’s waterfront in Burlington later this month where its chocolate products will be paired with local beers, Fitzpatrick said.

Mark Bove, president of Bove’s a longtime Burlington Italian restaurant that now sells its sauces and lasagna in stores, said his company tries to minimize the sugar in its sauces. He said the key to good health is balancing good diet and exercise: His recommendation: Come to Bove’s, “carb up, then go for a run.”

Chen said it’s OK for people to have a treat now and then, but urged limits. He said one popular cookbook used to publish a recipe for its standard chocolate chip cookie that produced a 100-calorie cookie. The same cookbook’s standard chocolate chip cookie now is 500 calories.

“The dial is moving in the wrong direction,” he said. “We’ve got to get the dial moving in the right direction.”