Research indicates that individuals who have had past obesity but successfully achieved a healthy weight still face a higher risk of premature mortality. It is likely due to potential difficulties in their mental well-being. A recent study examined the “weight scarring” hypothesis, which suggests that prior obesity may leave a negative impact on an individual’s current psychological state, leading to significant health consequences like depression and anxiety.
The study discovered that individuals with a history of obesity had a roughly 30% increased risk of early death. Moreover, the findings indicate that “overweight can have enduring effects on mental health, irrespective of an individual’s current weight.
The analysis, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, shows past obesity was associated with greater depressive symptoms. These depressive symptoms includes hopelessness, anxiety, loneliness, and pessimism.
University of Liverpool Study
Dr I Gusti Ngurah Edi Putra from the University of Liverpool , who headed the study, stated, “Previous studies have indicated that individuals who have lost weight and no longer meet the criteria for obesity still harbor concerns about potential stigma related to their past “overweight.”
“This led us to hypothesise that former obesity may have long-term psychological impacts that persist even after individuals are no longer classified as having obesity.
“We have tested this novel ‘weight scarring’ hypothesis and are presenting our preliminary findings at ECO.”
Researchers looked at information on past and current weight, height, symptoms of depression . This is in addition with other psychological wellbeing indicators, and mortality from a large dataset of people from the US.
They used data from 29,047 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 11,998 individuals from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
