Does your debt really impact your waistline? It does according to a new survey titled, “over-indebtedness as a marker of socioeconomic status and its association with obesity: a cross-sectional study.” The study examined 949 over-indebted Germans from 2006-2007. They found that the amount of debt you carry directly impacts the amount of weight you carry.

The study pinpointed several reason for this:

1. Lack of Health Care Access: First of all, the state of the economy could also be affected health care providers, especially charitable ones which means people are going to the doctor less.

2. Debt Causes Depression: Another explanation could be the when you are in debt, you are more psychologically distressed and depression often leads to increased food intake. Eating may cause a positive feeling which can substitute other areas in life that aren’t going so well, such as your finances.

3. Health Food Costs More: The study also says that healthy food costs more which could be another reason why those with more debt are more like to be obese. Energy-dense foods such as fatty snacks and sweets tend to be less expensive.

4. Increased Debt Limits Leisure: If you have more debt you may not be able to or want to take part in leisure activities such as regular exercise.

The entire study is available for your review. The study does realize that there are some issues that prevent complete accuracy. For instance, could overweight people have a more difficult time getting hired or keeping employment which would impact the amount of their debt? Also, for this study participants were asked to self-report their weight which may mean the results were not entirely accurate.