The British Medical Journal has recently published its research on Santa Claus.
Santa is probably the most recognisable figure in the world, and is used to advertise everything from junk food to alcohol. In the past Santa has even been used to advertise cigarettes.
Santa is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle: he overeats, drinks, and doesn't do enough exercise: in short, he is in part responsible for childhood obesity and teenage smoking.
With cookies, milk and possibly a beer or two in every house he visits, it isn't surprising that Santa is fat. He is also a bad role model when it comes to drink driving. He has a drink in every house, but with a few billion houses to visit he would quickly be over the limit, And Santa never wears a seatbelt.
"There is a correlation between countries that venerate Santa Claus and those that have high levels of childhood obesity," says the research.
While a clear link has not been established, there is a possibility that Santa promotes a message that obesity is synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality,
The research suggests that Santa should start eating the carrots and celery left for Rudolph, his reindeer.
He might also be encouraged to adopt a more active method to deliver toys - swapping his reindeer for a bike or simply walking or jogging.
Santa's popularity should be used to promote healthy living, says the study, offering a new image for Santa in slimmed-down form and on a treadmill.