Money stresses in countries like the UK and US could explain their higher obesity levels, compared with countries such as Norway and Sweden.

The study, in Economic and Human Biology, compared obesity in 11 affluent countries from 1994 to 2004.

Taking into account research into animal behaviour which shows that animals increase their food intake when faced with uncertainty, the Oxford researchers believed that stress could be a factor in causing people to overeat.

The study found that the more market-liberal countries stand out as having high levels of obesity – one-third more obesity on average – and higher rates of obesity growth

BBC News – Obesity linked to money insecurity in affluent nations