Is this the proof religion is good for your health?

Some believe religion is good for your soul – now it is said to be good for your health too.

Those who don’t follow a faith are more likely to fall or feel ill than those who do, a report said yesterday.

Significantly fewer people who have no religious belief think they have good health, compared to believers.

And nearly one in five non-believers are smokers – against just over one in ten Christians and muslims.

The Office for National Statistics report found that 68 per cent of Christians, 77 per cent of Jews, 72 per cent of Hindus, 69 per cent of Sikhs and 66 per cent of muslims said they were satisfied with their health – compared to 64 per cent of non-believers.

And more non-believers are smokers – 18 per cent compared to 11 per cent of Christians and muslims, 5 per cent of Hindus, 4 per cent of Jews and 2 per cent of Sikhs.

Other findings suggested better mental health among the religious.

Christians, muslims, Hindus and Sikhs all scored more than 49 per cent in a research project which ranked mental health between 0 and 100. Those with no religion scored 48 per cent.

The health advantage of those with faith may be even greater than suggested by the bald figures.

People with no religion are younger than any faith group except muslims, with four out of ten aged under 25 and more than eight out of ten under 50, the report found.

The ONS said that ‘ people generally are more likely to report poor health as they get older’ and ‘a religious group that has an older age profile is more likely to have a higher percentage of people who report poor health.’

The report is the first from official sources to back up research that followers of Christianity or other faiths are likely to win a reward on earth in terms of better health.

The national census nine years ago showed that nearly 60 per cent of the population of england and Wales was Christian, and the second biggest religion was Islam, at just under 5 per cent.

However a count based on 2016 numbers suggested that muslims now make up 5.6 per cent of the population, and numbers of muslims in england and Wales have gone up from 2.7million to 3.14million.

‘Reward on earth’