Study says Baptist flocks guilty of ‘overgrazing’

On the way to the church picnic, some Christians may not be sidestepping one of the seven deadly sins: gluttony.

A new study surmises that among Christians in the U.S. — particularly Baptists, Pentecostals and Catholics — there is a significant relationship between being religious and being obese.

The study tracked about 2,800 religious Americans of various denominations for eight years.

Baptists, according to the study, were most likely to be obese, followed by Pentecostals, Catholics, Methodists and members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Denominations that stress physical health, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Seventh-day Adventists, show low levels of obesity, according to the study. There is also a very low percentage of obese Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists in the U.S., the study found.

Because religion is often associated with positive health factors, such as lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems and less depression, the results of the study were somewhat surprising, said Purdue University sociology professor Kenneth Ferraro, a leader of the research.

“We usually think of religion as contrasting negative behaviors,” Ferraro said. But “Baptists, as well as most fundamentalist groups, place great emphasis on separating the mind or soul from the body,” which may lead to overeating.

The study found a significant correlation between obesity and people who use religious media, such as television, radio and magazines. These “couch potato saints,” as the study calls them, tend to be less active and often watch “lots of obese religious leaders on TV,” according to Ferraro.

Ferraro said his study has received some negative attention from preachers who say that he has “the wrong priorities ... for trying to find fault with the church.”

But he said rising obesity rates in the U.S. present a dangerous health problem. “If you’re a pastor, you ought to be concerned about the condition of your flock,” Ferraro said.