Poverty: Great for the Waistline!

Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET

Good news for Cubans! Those who lived through the economic hardships of the 1990s also stayed skinny since they couldn't afford a car or fat-packed American exports like Cheetos. A new study says, "Between 1997 and 2002 deaths caused by diabetes declined by 51 percent, coronary heart disease mortality dropped 35 percent and stroke mortality by 20 percent." Also according to the research, "The recent economic recovery has reversed that trend. Around 30 percent of adult Cubans are now overweight." Sad, because we saw Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and a trip to Havana looked much more fun than another hour on the elliptical trainer. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/cuba/story/0,,2177843,00.html

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