In US,obese people shed flab due to recession

In their study,the researchers at Arizona University used information collected from a study of 3,50,000 adults across the US,the Daily Mail online reported. People were asked for their height and weight,which allows researchers to calculate their Body Mass Index BMI.

The World Health Organisation considers a person obese if they have a BMI score of 30 or over,and overweight if they have a score of between 25 and 30.

The effect was seen regardless of family income,which suggests a general trend across the population and could be a sign that the healthy-eating message is having an impact at a time when people are being more careful about how they shop.

The researchers said: In all but the poorest income group the annual increase in BMI decelerated substantially during the recession. There is little evidence that the economic downturn has exacerbated obesity by causing people to consume cheaper foods.