Associations of Weight Stigma with Cortisol and Oxidative Stress Independent of Adiposity
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Weight discrimination is associated with increased risk of obesity. The mechanism of this relationship is unknown, but being overweight is a highly stigmatized condition and may be a source of chronic stress that contributes to the development and pathophysiology of obesity. The objective of this study was to test whether weight stigma is associated with physiological risk factors linked to stress and obesity, including hypercortisolism and oxidative stress, independent of adiposity. METHOD: We examined the frequency of experiencing situations involving weight stigma and consciousness of weight stigma in relation to hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis activity and oxidative stress (F₂-isoprostanes) in 45 healthy overweight to obese women. RESULTS: Independent of abdominal fat, weight stigma was significantly related to measures of cortisol (including salivary measures of cortisol awakening response and serum morning levels) as well as higher levels of oxidative stress. Perceived stress mediated the relationship between weight stigma consciousness and the cortisol awakening response. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings show that weight stigma is associated with greater biochemical stress, independent of level of adiposity. It is possible that weight stigma may contribute to poor health underlying some forms of obesity.
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Weight stigma increases oxidative stress.
“In addition to increased cortisol, weight stigma also increases oxidative stress [204] providing further evidence of biological embedding.”
From Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications (2020) · cites this paper as [204]
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References 30 · Cited by 166
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- Authors
- Tomiyama, A. J., Epel, E. S., McClatchey, T. M., Poelke, G., Kemeny, M. E., McCoy, S. K., & Daubenmier, J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- University of Maine (US)
- Venue
- Health Psychology
- Published
- 2014
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 862-867
- ISSN
- 0278-6133 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-7810
- PMC
- PMC4677673
- OpenAlex
- W2115219805
- Cited by
- 166
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 27.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Mount Zion Health Fund
- The William Bowes, Jr. Fund
- Robert Deidrick Fund
- National Institutes of Health (K01AT004199)
- National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources (ULI RR024131)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Keywords
- weight stigma, weight discrimination, cortisol, oxidative stress, cortisol awakening response, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, isoprostanes, perceived stress, obesity, overweight women, adiposity, chronic stress
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Middle Aged, Obesity, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Saliva, Stereotyping, Stress, Psychological, Oxidative Stress, Adiposity, Overweight, Young Adult
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