I can already imagine the political spin that will come of a new study from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, which links elevated gas prices to a decrease in the national obesity rate.

"You see, these high gas prices are actually a good thing. They get people moving around more, helping them lose weight," is what I'm sure many politicians (and oil company CEOs) will try to suggest at some point or another. Or maybe I'm just being a bit cynical. In either case, and in all fairness, the fact does remain that when gas prices soar, obesity rates decline.

Not only does the boost in gas prices make people less apt to drive, but it limits their ability to dine out -- which, in many cases, involves consuming calorie, carb, and fat-heavy foods. And it doesn't take an advanced degree in economics to figure out that the opposite of this relationship must also hold true: if gas prices go down, obesity rates climb. Women's Health magazine reports that an analysis of fuel cost and obesity rates between 1979 and 2004 reveals that falling prices at the pump may be to blame for the eight percent spike in obesity rates over the same period.