Link between religion and being overweight, NSW academics find

RELIGION could be fattening, a new Australian study has found.

The study, by two northern NSW academics, has found a link between religion and higher body mass index (BMI) readings.

They say the "sin of gluttony" might not be as frowned upon by religious people as much as other vices such as drinking, smoking and pre-marital sex - and that many religious celebrations might even encourage over-eating.

They analysed data from 9408 adults and found religious denomination was "significantly related to higher BMI" - a warning sign of potential health problems heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

Dr Kortt and Professor Dollery found Baptist and Catholic men had a higher BMI compared with those with no religious affiliations.

They also revealed non-Christian women had lower BMIs.

Link

I wasn't sure if I should post this news, but I decided to share it anyways since
I thought it was funny and interesting.

Who pays these people to come up with this crap? Seriously, I can't believe some of the theories that these so called 'researchers' come up with! Next week it will be ''new research shows that Athiesm leads to Cancer''.

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


I agree. I cannot believe the ridiculous subjects that those so-called scholars etc are paid to research. Obesity and religion, give me a break. I can';t wait to see what they come up with next, it always makes me laugh..

I agree, it's just a useless study in a day and age where money could
come as a huge help in so many other types of health issues... just sayin

reply to post by samsamm9


Actually, there is something to this. Most illegal drugs will lead to weight loss which is why most hard drug users look rather scary. The problem is most people eat to deal with stressful problems in life. A good christian can't just roll up a joint or knock back booze, so the next best stand in is food. A lot of people are addicted to food as it's socially acceptable to eat for comfort.

There are many important factors to consider when analyzing a study such as this. One that I can think of off the top of my head is this. Religiosity is higher among those already settled down with a family compared to those who are single, i.e. generally young. Those who are single tend to take better care of their physical appearance for better dating options. Already married people, many of which are religious who tend to marry younger, are also more prone to "letting themselves go". Just walk around your city for a bit or think about the people you know, compare those who are single with those married. This rule will apply 80% of the time.

I think that this study was pretty much a waste of money. Correlations can be observed between many things. Are the religious people in better or worse health than those who are not religious. What is the difference in cancer rates and many other ailments. The percentage of nonreligious people that are overindulging in alcohol is going to be higher also. The Religious people may not have as many tobacco smokers in their ranks and since tobacco use makes a person skinnier than that could be a factor. Too many variables for this to have even been done to any degree of relativity.

Stupid!

Aren't the older generation more religious than the younger generation? Some slight problems there which they don't address.

The academics noted that people who practised religion at home - for example, by watching TV evangelists - were more likely to consume high-calorie foods and drinks and might prefer a sedentary lifestyle. Read more: www.news.com.au...

Well my grandpa used to watch church services from home, but you know he had a slight problem in that he couldn't walk.

Stupid study...

reply to post by Misoir


Here in Australia, most people could not give zip squat about religion. To me, if there is an obesity problem in Australia, it has nothing to do with religion. It has more to do with the lifestyle they choose to live. Eating crap, drinking booze and simply not giving two craps about their health or fitness. Its the Aussie way to a certain degree..

Yeah I guess it's hard to deny or fight statistics. eat the facts.

In my experience, religious people tend to be obese. I have 6 sisters. Four of them religious and fat. The rest are slim. There is no such thing as coincidence. they say...

I can think of a lot of different reasons there could be a correlation- some of them have already been stated in this thread.

Religion offers emotional support- people who have need of emotional comfort often turn to religion- and food.
That's just one other possibility amongst others.

Actually, there's some weight to this (no pun intended) as Antonia pointed out. In my own experience, the most food at holiday celebrations is at religious households and is regarded as a literal feast, whereas the secular ones don't do that kind of all-out feasting. The dish variety at those tends to be many fewer, especially in the dessert category. Sunday dinner, which I've had at a few religious friends' homes, also tends to be much more lavish as well. Biggest meal of the week, as they say...

My husband grew up in a Roman Catholic family, and he always likes to point out the gluttony of every possible observed holiday's meals of his youth. "See, my family would cook this, and this, and that, and that, and this, and those. It was an excuse to stuff ourselves." I doubt that's all that far from the truth even today.