That's a good hypothesis that appears to be incompatible with the data. In particular, Kuwait and Oman, similar on an ethnic basis, with smoking much more preva

That's a good hypothesis that appears to be incompatible with the data. In particular, Kuwait and Oman, similar on an ethnic basis, with smoking much more prevalent in Kuwait with a much higher obesity rate. Oman is actually richer per capita so it's not like they can't afford treats while Kuwaitis can. Of course, it's just one data point, maybe countries with higher smoking percentage are indeed fatter on average. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-rates-by-country https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/smoking-r... https://www.omanobserver.om/article/88477/Local/alarming-rise-in-obesity-rate-in-region https://www.omanobserver.om/article/88477/Local/alarming-ris...