Study links strict diets and exercise to anxiety and depression; Girls and women are more vulnerable to aesthetic pressures
Maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly and having a weight considered adequate are signs of good health. But a new study from the University of Warwick, in England, warns that apparently healthy young people who strictly control their bodies through restrictive diets and physical activity show more symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychological distress in adulthood.
The results were published in January in the journal Current Psychology. The study used data from the MCS (Millennium Cohort Study), British research that has followed thousands of young people since childhood.
For the analysis, the researchers considered information collected at two moments: between 2018 and 2019, when 10,625 adolescents aged 17 participated in the so-called Wave 7 of the study; and in 2021, during a stage carried out in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and when young people were in their 20s. Read the study.
Participants responded to interviews and questionnaires about weight, eating habits, exercise, mental health and well-being. From this data, the researchers grouped people who had similar characteristics to each other and identified 4 main profiles, combining nutritional status and weight control behaviors.
The group that presented the best psychological outcomes was young people with normal weight who did not diet or exercise with a focus on losing weight. Those who were overweight, underweight and those of normal weight who strictly controlled their diet and physical activity reported poor mental health.
STIGMA AND SURVEILLANCE
The research also highlights the role of weight-related stigma: in the analysis, it was linked to worse mental health, regardless of BMI (Body Mass Index), an indicator used to estimate whether a person’s weight is appropriate for their height. Young people with a weight considered normal, but who dieted and exercised, reported feeling watched, pressured and dissatisfied with their appearance, in addition to suffering from comments, comparisons and social pressure.
The study also identified higher levels of neuroticism, a personality trait associated with a greater tendency to negative emotions, excessive worry and difficulty dealing with frustrations. These young people of normal weight were excessively concerned about their bodies.
GIRLS ARE MORE VULNERABLE
According to the research, girls and young women were particularly more vulnerable to these concerns. Signs of psychological distress linked to body image include sudden changes in eating patterns, skipping meals, excessive rigidity, guilt after eating or the need to compensate with exercise.
Another point of attention for parents and caregivers is how young people behave on a daily basis and talk about their own bodies. Frequent comments about devaluation, intense fear of gaining weight even at a normal or low weight, constant comparison with other people and excessive sensitivity to criticism about appearance are signs of body dissatisfaction.
With information from .
