Thailand's Fat Monks Urged to Lose Some Weight

Thailand's fat monks urged to lose some weightBishkek (AKIpress) - Religious offerings of sugary drinks and fatty foods might bring good luck to Buddhist devotees in Thailand, but they've created a major health crisis for the monks consuming them, USA Today says.

Nearly half of the country's 300,000 holy men are believed to be obese and suffering from chronic diseases, a study has found.

Now the revered monastic order is being urged to diet and exercise to shed those excess pounds.

"Obesity in our monks is a ticking time bomb," Jongjit Angkatavanich, a nutrition and diet expert at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, told the Bangkok Post.

Monks typically receive donations of juice, tea and coffee, and dishes laden with fat and sugar from Buddhist faithful hoping for good karma in this life and the next.

But these offerings are having unintended consequences for monks, who literally can't refuse them.

Obesity-related health problems of the largely sedentary monk population cost Thai taxpayers more...