It’s low self-esteem that makes you fat rather than your fat lowering your self-esteem, says a new study.
Researchers in Britain have found that children with self-esteem problems are more likely to be obese as adults — they have based their findings on an analysis of British Birth Cohort Study in 1970.
The study of 6,500 subjects found that 10-year-olds with lower self esteem tended to be fatter as adults. The affect was particularly true for girls, the ‘BMC Medicine’ journal reported.
Children with a lower self-esteem, those who felt less in control of their lives, and those who worried often were more likely to gain weight over the next 20 years, it found.
“What’s novel about this study is that obesity has been regarded as a medical metabolic disorder — what we’ve found is emotional problems are a risk factor for obesity. “This is not about people with deep psychological problems, all the anxiety and low self-esteem were within the normal range,” lead researcher Prof David Collier was quoted by the ‘BBC News’ portal as saying.
Added co-researcher Andrew Ternouth: “While we cannot say that childhood emotional problems cause obesity in later life, we can certainly say they play a role, along with factors such as parental weight, diet and exercise.”
“Strategies to promote the social and emotional aspects of learning, including the promotion of self-esteem, are central to a number of recent policy initiatives. Our findings suggest that approaches of this kind may carry positive benefits for physical health,” Mr Ternouth added.