A new study out of the U.K. says our bad economy was actually good news for our waistlines.

The study in the U.K.'s Daily Mail found that the number of people considered dangerously obese was cut in half in the three years since the financial collapse in 2007.

The results surprised researchers because they expected us to get fatter, as healthy food tends to cost more and a lot of less expensive meals are packed with carbs and fat. They still don't know yet why the most recent study appears to suggest that having a lower income reduces the number of obese adults, however the weight loss effect was shown regardless of family income. They say that this is good news because it seems that the healthy eating message seems to be getting across.

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