Research
Mixed
High body weight (obesity) causes increased psychological distress and depressive symptoms, primarily through weight stigma and biological mechanisms like HPA-axis dysregulation and systemic inflammation.
If you have obesity, be aware that societal stigma and biological factors like inflammation can contribute to depression. Focus on mental health support and reducing stigma rather than self-blame. Healthcare providers should adopt weight-inclusive attitudes to improve patient wellbeing.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
the most convincing findings are that greater body weight leads to psychological distress rather than the reverse. The psychological stress induced by weight stigma and discrimination contributes to psychological distress... Heightened systemic inflammation and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are biological mechanisms that mediate in part the relationship of greater body weight with poorer mental health.
Why this rating
Based on large-scale population-based epidemiological research, meta-analyses, and longitudinal studies.
Source
Obesity and psychological distress
Andrew Steptoe et al. · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · 2023
narrative_reviewCited 131×
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