Study: Food Stamps Make You Fatter

According to a new nationwide study that appears in the recent issue of Economics and Human Biology, the U.S. Food Stamp Program may help contribute to obesity among its users.

Researchers found that the average user of food stamps had a Body Mass Index (BMI) 1.15 points higher than non-users. The link between food stamps and higher weight was almost entirely based on women users, who averaged 1.24 points higher BMI than those not in the program, the study found. For an average American woman, this would mean an increase in weight of 5.8 pounds.

The study also found that people’s BMI increased faster when they were on food stamps than when they were not, and increased more the longer they were in the program.

‘That spare tire might make you live longer’

The Globe and Mail — Packing on the extra pounds might actually help Canadians live longer, a new study has found.

Using body mass index as a measure, the study examined 11,326 adult Canadians over 12 years and found that overweight people were 17 per cent less likely to die than people with normal weight. Normal weight is defined as having a BMI of between 18.5 and 25, with those classified as overweight having a BMI of between 25 and 30.

The findings were published online in the research journal Obesity and give support to similar studies previously done in the United States that indicated a bit of excess weight might protect against premature mortality.