Childhood Abuse May Lead to Obesity

By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 17, 2009 7:50 AM CDT
Childhood Abuse May Lead to Obesity
Childhood abuse may be linked to obesity.   (Getty Images)

Compounding the mental and physical pain that accompanies childhood abuse, a new study suggests abuse may lead to adult obesity. Researchers studied 410 children who had court-substantiated cases of physical and sexual abuse before the age of 11; 30 years later, their body mass index scores were compared with a control group. Physical abuse sufferers had higher BMI scores; those who had suffered sexual abuse did not, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Researchers believe the former type of abuse may affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, triggering an increase in peripheral cortisol, which has been linked with abdominal obesity. More simply, they also suspect that overeating could be a way of dealing with the pain. (More abuse stories.)

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