Religion makes people obese, claims study

A study in the US has found that religion makes people obese.

The research, which tracked nearly 2,500 men and women over the age of 18 has found that if people pray to God and go to church they are 50% more likely to be obese.

Lead investigator from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Matthew Feinstein said: "We don't know why frequent religious participation is associated with development of obesity.

"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."