Piling on the pounds is not only bad for health, but it also can have a negative impact on earning power. Just a 10% increase in body mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, can cut a man's real earnings by 3.3% and a woman's by 1.8%, according to economists. Research from nine European countries shows the negative influence 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. BMI affects wages negatively in Europe, and the size of this effect is larger for males than for females, according to Giorgio Brunello, an economist at the University of Padova in Italy.


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，在西班牙、希腊、意大利和葡萄牙等几个位于“油带”国家，体重增加对收入的消极影响表现得更为明显。 但在奥地利、爱尔兰、丹麦、比利时和芬兰等所谓的“啤酒带”国家，体重增加对收入的影响并不是很显著。 据意大利帕多瓦大学的经济学家吉奥乔·布鲁尼罗说，他们发现，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。