If you're looking to shed a few pounds, you might want to start by dropping your health insurance.

So says the authors of a research paper published this week in the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The researchers used data from the Rand Health Insurance Experiment, which found that modest cost sharing reduced the use of health care services with negligible effects on health status, to find out if more generous insurance coverage correlated with higher body weight. They also estimated the effect the type of insurance coverage—public vs. private—had on body weight.

The researchers concluded that there is strong evidence that being insured increases body mass index and obesity, and that more generous insurance coverage could exacerbate the situation.

The research paper, "Does Health Insurance Make You Fat?," is available for purchase online at the Bureau's web site.