Stay away from religion: it is literally healthier!

As is my routine every morning, I scanned the latest at Arts and Letters Daily. 

One of the links there was to a CNN report that "frequent churchgoers frequently fatter:"

frequent religious involvement appears to almost double the risk of obesity compared with little or no involvement.
What is unclear from the new research is why religion might be associated with overeating.

So, for now all they have done is establish a strong correlation?  Well, it appears that the researchers were looking into a question on cardiovascular risks, and churchgoing pops up unexpectedly:

The new research, presented at an American Heart Association conference dedicated to physical activity, metabolism and cardiovascular disease, involved 2,433 people enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.  The group was tested - at first between 20 and 32 years old - for various cardiovascular disease risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and smoking.  Those same tests were repeated in the same group over the next 25 years.
The results were mixed for many risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but as researchers analyzed the data, one disparity stood out.  Those who reported attending church weekly, or more often, were significantly more likely to have a higher body mass index than those who attended infrequently, or never.

I liked even more the following paragraphs in that report:

Yet another irony is the number of studies suggesting that religion and faith are actually beneficial for health.  Recent studies suggest that a "relaxation response" in the brain among people who pray, meditate, or engage in otherwise relaxing activities may alleviate anxiety and stress. Stress is implicated in many illnesses.  Other studies suggest an association between church-going and longevity.
"On the whole being religious has been shown by many studies to be associated with better mental health, lower smoking rates, lower mortality rates and better overall health status," said Feinstein.  "There are a whole lot of things religious people are doing right, but it's just this specific area where there appears to be room for improvement."
The upshot of the new research, said Feinstein, is that knowing there may be an obesity problem among church-goers provides a captive audience for intervention.

Yes, "captive" audience, indeed!

If there is only website that I am allowed to visit every day, then A&LDaily would be the one. Thanks to the late Denis Dutton for starting this site as a resource for all of us.  An exciting moment for me as a blogger happened three years ago: Denis Dutton had left a comment on my blog post!

Here is Dutton talking about his his last book with Colbert: