Could Santa stand to lose a few pounds?

That's the question that's been asked many times in recent years, as obesity has begun to reach epidemic proportions. Perhaps the jolly old elf has now become a bad role model to kids?

For traditionalists, the idea that Santa should slim down would sound absurd. Santa has always been portly. From the time "A Visit From St. Nicholas" was written in 1823, Santa has been described as chubby and plump, with a round little belly that shook when he laughed "like a bowl full of jelly."

Even in 1964's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Mrs. Claus is shown admonishing her husband to eat, because nobody wants a “skinny Santa.”

But these days, many indeed would prefer a skinnier Santa.

Back in 2009, public health physician Dr. Nathan Grills published a paper in the BMJ suggesting Santa might be a "public health pariah" because he has helped normalize obesity.

Grills lamented that the countries where Santa is portrayed at his fattest are also the countries that have the highest rates of childhood obesity.

"Santa promotes a message that obesity is synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality," Grills wrote. 

(Grills later admitted he got a barrage of angry emails after publishing that paper.)

Now, Canadian obesity researcher Peter Janiszewski is suggesting it might be time to cut Santa some slack.

He points out that just because Santa appears to be obese, he may not necessarily be unhealthy. After all, Janiszewski argues, Santa must be pretty fit if he's carrying a heavy sack all night while climbing up and down chimneys at such an advanced age.

"He’s clearly physically active, nicely personifying the fat and fit phenotype," Janiszewski writes.

Besides, Janiszewski says, it's nice that Santa is still so jolly.

In an age when "fat-shaming" is so common even while so many of us are overweight, "it may not be a bad idea to have a public character who remains in good spirits despite his expanded waistline," he argues.

Still, perhaps Santa could stand to make a few lifestyle changes. After all, he's done it before.

Remember the days when Santa was a regular pipe smoker? He kicked that habit. So perhaps it's time he nix all those cookies that are offered to him at so many homes, suggests Janiszewski.

"Santa could also benefit from a standing sleigh to reduce the time he spends sitting," he says. Or he could try parking the sleigh a few houses away to increase his number of steps.

It's also possible that Santa's slim-down is already under way.

James Horne, of British greeting card maker Clinton Cards, says an unscientific study they've conducted on greeting cards shows that Santa is not as fat and round as he once was. In the images of Saint Nick seen on greeting cards, it seems the Santa has lost about 25 pounds over the last 20 years.

“Depictions of him have become slimmer -- possibly because we have become more weight-conscious and into healthy eating," Horne told The Telegraph newspaper last month.

So perhaps Santa is not a public health pariah at all but an inspiration to all those looking to lose a few pounds in the new year.