Santa may need reining in
Thursday December 17th, 2009
Santa Claus needs to go on a diet, medical experts said today.
The symbol of Christmas is too fat and needs to get some exercise and healthy diet - rather than brandy and mince pies, according to Dr Nathan Grills, of Monash University, Australia.
Dr
Grills' investigation into Santa Claus is among the latest batch of medical
oddities in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.
Dr Grills backs his conclusions with an analysis of published reports on Santa Claus.
He warned that Santa can be used to sell harmful products, such as fizzy drinks. In the USA, Santa was the only fictional character more highly recognised than Ronald McDonald.
Calling for Santa to swop his reindeer transport for a bicycle, Dr Grills calls for "a new image for Santa - a slimmed down version on a treadmill."
He was backed yesterday by doctors close to his reputed home in Lapland.
Doctors at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, suggested a prescription of cholesterol lowering drugs together with treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure.
And nutritionist Mette Axelsen added: "Mr Claus eats too much sugar and saturated fat. The foods that people give him are very energy dense. I'm thinking of candy, rice pudding and high-fat cuts of meat. People generally gain about half a kilo over Christmas."
* Also in the journal, European researchers seek to solve two historical medical mysteries.
A French team concludes that Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II of France, died through using potions of gold to try to preserve her looks.
And Norwegian researchers provide an explanation for the death of a party of 17 sealers at Spitsbergen in 1872. They conclude that the cause of death was not scurvy - as was officially recorded - but lead poisoning from tins.
Tags: Australia | Diet & Food | Europe | Fitness | General Health
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