Time for Santa to step on the scales as we get set for biggest feasts of the year?

Santa Claus is morbidly obese with a BMI of 41.5 – with the largest portrayal coming in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Researchers analysed 10 popular festive films, TV shows and adverts to calculate his average BMI, revealing he far exceeds healthy weight of between 18.5 to 24.9 – and just creeps into the morbidly obese category as his is over 40.    Tim Burton’s festive fright has Santa standing at 5ft 5in and weighing in at 300 pounds – meaning his BMI is a massive 49.9.   He is also on the bigger side in The Snowman and Elf, where his BMI checks in at 45.5 and 44.7, respectively. However, the slimmest Santa was played by Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street.   At 5ft 6ins and a weight of 176 pounds – his BMI here is 28.4, meaning he’s the only Santa which isn’t considered obese.   The analysis was conducted by researchers at ZAVA, who reviewed a combination of factors – such as the height of the actor – and compared visual depictions with imagery of body shapes and their known weights to calculate his BMI. It comes after the online doctor also commissioned a poll of 2,000 adults which found one in four think these plumper Santas actually encourage overeating during the Christmas period.   Dr Babak Ashrafi, clinical lead for service development at ZAVA, which compiled a ‘Nutritional Naughty and Nice List’ featuring simple swaps for classic Christmas food and drinks [], said: “Over the years there have been many beloved depictions of Santa. But across all these variations, one thing has stood the test of time – and that’s him being on the larger side."