Study links pounds, pews
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September 23, 2006
Too many carbs in communion wafers? Too much fat in your faith?
A recent study found that some churches and church-related activities are a "feeding ground" for America's obesity problem.
Ken Ferraro, a sociology professor at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind., analyzed 2,500 people during an eight-year period to determine the relationship between religious practices and body mass index.
In his study, published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Ferraro found that obesity was more prevalent in some denominations -- particularly Baptists and fundamentalist Protestants.
Although unhealthy eating patterns in the South might partly explain that, Ferraro found it was true across the nation.
Religious leaders tended to call cigarette smoking or the consumption of drugs and alcohol sinful, but didn't attach the same label to overeating, Ferraro found. Instead, they have church potlucks and doughnuts after services.
"It has become the accepted vice," he said. "Abstinence doesn't translate as well to food."
Ferraro said there seemed to be a "mind-body dualism," meaning that believers didn't recognize a strong connection between physical health and spiritual well-being. And he said those who are abstaining from other vices might turn to food instead.
Ferraro said some churches have heeded his warnings about what he calls "Krispy Kreme Christianity." Instead of offering coffee and doughnuts or other junk food during social gatherings, some have made an effort to incorporate more healthful foods.
Ferraro's study also showed that, among women, consumption of religious media -- TV, radio or literature -- was a strong predictor of obesity. So he suggests finding a way to incorporate exercise while watching or listening to religious programming. In other words, no televangelists unless you're on a treadmill.
Some religions do tend to encourage healthy eating habits, Ferraro found: Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, Christian Scientists and Jews, for example.
And across the board, there are examples of religious groups that have taken the initiative to cultivate weight management among their members.
The Hallelujah Diet
A book called "The Hallelujah Diet," by Dr. George Malkmus, encourages a regimen of raw, natural foods, no meat and plenty of fresh air and exercise.
The diet is based on Genesis 1:29 in the Bible, which says, in the King James Version, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
Malkmus had colon cancer and claims to have fought through it with faith and good habits. Now he is trying to encourage others to do the same with a ministry called Hallelujah Acres, based out of Shelby, N.C.
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