Super-Sizing DaVinci's Last Supper

The Los Angeles Times reports on a study that shows how the portion sizes in DaVinci's "The Last Supper" have been growing consistently larger over the years. While one might think such a study would appear in a scholarly art journal, it actually was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

The Christian faith holds several acts of "super-sizing" to be miracles accomplished by Jesus Christ -- a handful of fish and loaves of bread expanded to feed thousands; a wedding feast running low on wine suddenly awash in the stuff. Now a new study of portion expansion puts Jesus once more at the center.

In a bid to uncover the roots of super-sized American fare, a pair of sibling scholars has turned to an unusual source: 52 artists' renderings of the New Testament's Last Supper.

Their findings, published online Tuesday in the International Journal of Obesity, indicate that serving sizes have been marching heavenward for 1,000 years.