Piling on the pounds is not only bad for health it can have a negative impact on earning power. Piling on the pounds is not only bad for health it can have a negative impact on earning power. Just a 10 percent increase in body mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, can cut a man's real earnings by 3.3 percent and a woman's by 1.8 percent, according to economists. Research from nine European countries shows the negative impact of weight on wages is stronger in the "oil belt" nations which include Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal. But in the so-called "beer belt" countries of Austria, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and Finland gaining weight does not have a significant effect on salary. "We find that BMI affects wages negatively in Europe, and that the size of this effect is larger for males than for females," said Giorgio Brunello, an economist at the University of Padova in Italy. But he does not know whether it is due to discrimination against the overweight and obese or to health problems or depression that may limit their productivity. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. A BMI between 20-25 in normal, 25-30 is pre-obese and more than 30 is obese. Public health experts have warned that Europe is facing an obesity epidemic that will increase health costs and hamper economic development. Up to 23 percent of men and as many as 36 percent of women in Europe are obese. It is also a growing problem in children. Heavier European workers experience a wage penalty in the labor market, according to researchers . The researchers said their findings are in line with the results of a recent survey of Europeans that shows Southern Europeans place a higher concern on gaining weight. 点击查看更多双语新闻 (Reuters)

肥胖不仅对健康有害，可能还会对“挣钱能力”产生负面影响。 据经济学家介绍，体重指数（测量体重与身高比例的指标）上升10%，男性的实际收入就会下降3.3%，女性则会下降1.8%。 这项在欧洲九个国家开展的调查表明，体重增加对于收入的消极影响在西班牙、希腊、意大利和葡萄牙等几个"油带"国家更为明显。 但在澳大利亚、爱尔兰、丹麦、比利时和芬兰等所谓的“啤酒带”国家，体重增加对于收入的影响并不是很显著。 意大利帕多瓦大学的经济学家吉奥乔·布鲁尼罗说：“我们发现，在欧洲，体重指数的增长会对收入产生负面影响，而且这种影响对于男性更为明显。” 但至于这究竟是因为人们歧视肥胖，还是因为肥胖所引起的健康问题和心情郁闷导致工作效率低下，目前还不清楚。 体重指数（BMI）的计算方法是用体重（公斤）除以身高（米）再进行平方。体重指数在20-25之间为“正常”，在25-30之间为“肥胖前期”，大于30则为“肥胖”。 公共健康专家发出警告，欧洲目前正面临普遍肥胖的问题，这会导致健康成本增加，还会阻碍经济发展。 欧洲高达23%的男性和36%的女性存在肥胖问题，而且，儿童肥胖问题也日趋严重。 据研究人员介绍，在欧洲的劳动力市场上，较胖员工的工资相对较低。 研究人员称，他们的研究结果与最近在欧洲进行的一项调查结果一致，这项调查显示，欧洲南部地区的人们对自己体重的增加更为关心。 （英语点津姗姗编辑）