Bob CollinsWe acknowledge falling into the trap of academic public relations in telling you this, but a study out of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine today says people who participate in religious activities are more likely to be obese.
But does that mean that participating in religious activities makes you fat?
“It’s possible that getting together once a week and associating good works and happiness with eating unhealthy foods could lead to the development of habits that are associated with greater body weight and obesity,” said Matthew Feinstein, the study’s lead investigator.
The study tracked 2,500 men and women over 18 years who were 50 percent more likely to be obese by middle age after adjusting for differences in age, race, sex, education, income, and baseline body mass index, the survey said.
The study also acknowledges that “previous studies have shown religious people tend to live longer than those who aren’t religious, in part because they tend to smoke less.”
