Revealed, the fattest famous Santa - and neither Mr Claus in The Snowman or Elf ranks number one

Santa Claus may have gorged himself on a few too many mince pies.

That's according to analysis of 10 popular Christmas films, TV shows and adverts, which revealed that 90 per cent of Saint Nicholas interpretations are dangerously overweight.

Researchers found that Santa in The Nightmare Before Christmas is the largest.

Tim Burton's festive fright has Santa standing at 5ft 5in and weighing in at 300 pounds (136kg) — meaning his body mass index (BMI) is a whopping 49.9.

A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, while those tipping into the 25 to 29.9 threshold are overweight, 30 to 39.9 are obese and 40 or above are severely obese.

Being too large risks a raft of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and strokes. 

The Santa in the 1994 film is not the only one to have piled on the pounds over Christmas.

For nine out of the 10 famous Santa's analysed are obese or severely obese, according to the analysis by online doctor ZAVA, which estimated the height and weight of Santa.

Santa in The Snowman, the 1982 animated Christmas film, and Elf (2003), starring Will Ferrell and often ranked among the top festive movies, have BMIs of 45.5 and 44.7, respectively.

Fred Claus (2007), which featured actor Paul Giamatti at Santa, was also among the largest, clocking in with a BMI of 44.2.

In the famous annual Christmas Coca-Cola advert, Santa is 5ft 10in (178 cm) and weighs in at 300 (136kg) pounds, giving him a BMI of 43. 

However, the slimmest Santa was played by Richard Attenborough in Miracle on 34th Street.

At 5ft 6ins (167 cm) and a weight of 176 pounds (79kg), his BMI is 28.4, meaning he's the only Santa who isn't considered obese. However, he is still overweight.

ZAVA also commissioned a poll of 2,000 adults, which found one in four think these unhealthy Santas actually encourage overeating during the Christmas period.

Dr Babak Ashrafi, clinical lead for service development at ZAVA said: 'Over the years there have been many beloved depictions of Santa.

'But across all these variations, one thing has stood the test of time — and that's him being on the larger side.

'In fact, his weight in most of these festive favourites is actually considered dangerous and he would urgently need to change his lifestyle — otherwise could encounter a raft of weight related problems, including diabetes and heart problems.

'As we are more conscious than ever when it comes to unhealthy portrayals having a knock-on impact on our own health, it would seem many believe Father Christmas could make a few healthier choices to continue spreading festive cheer for many years to come.' 

Obesity can cause a range of life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, fatty liver disease and kidney problems. 

BMI is the most widely used indicator of whether someone falls into this category. It is calculated by dividing a weight in kilograms by height in metres squared.

The survey by ZAVA also found that more than half of Brits struggle to stay clear of unhealthy and indulgent food in December. 

Some 55 per cent of people surveyed admitted that their healthy eating and drinking habits will 'go out of the window' this Christmas.

Meanwhile, 31 per cent said they found it difficult to say no to indulgent food and drink when they are in the festive mood.

But 80 per cent do believe Christmas time in general encourages an over consumption of decadent foods.

However, 32 per cent will try to keep an eye on their calorie intake over the festive period — as 19 per cent always try to be healthy, so won't change at this time of year.

Whereas 14 per cent of these want to avoid putting on weight during the festive celebrations, the poll, conducted via OnePoll, found.