"Fat shaming" does not encourage individuals to lose weight, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at 2,944 U.K. adults over a four year period who reported experiencing weight discrimination, and found these individuals actually tended to gain more weight, University College London reported.

The rewsearch was part of a population study and not an experimental study, so it cannot conclusively confirm the association between discrimination and weight gain is causal. To make their findings the researchers assessed discrimination two years after the initial weight measurements and two years before the final measurements; all of the data was statistically controlled for outside influences.

"Previous studies have found that people who experience discrimination report comfort eating. Stress responses to discrimination can increase appetite, particularly for unhealthy, energy-dense food. Weight discrimination has also been shown to make people feel less confident about taking part in physical activity, so they tend to avoid it," she said.

The participants were asked how often they experienced five different discriminatory situations that included: being treated with less respect or courtesy; receiving poorer service at restaurants or stores; being treated as if they are not clever; being threatened or harassed; and receiving poorer treatment from doctors or at hospitals.

Originally posted by ReginaPhalange

No ****! For a lot of people, food is used for comfort. Shaming someone about their size can lead to depression, depression leads to over eating and the cycle repeats itself.

Isn't this common knowledge...

Originally posted by ReginaPhalange

No ****! For a lot of people, food is used for comfort. Shaming someone about their size can lead to depression, depression leads to over eating and the cycle repeats itself.

Isn't this common knowledge...

Originally posted by ReginaPhalange

No ****! For a lot of people, food is used for comfort. Shaming someone about their size can lead to depression, depression leads to over eating and the cycle repeats itself.

Originally posted by TheRoofInhabitant

!
So glad now you can't even excuse it.

Originally posted by Kamil24

I don't really understand the concept of comfort eating. I want to do it but where do you get all the food? And I'm too lazy to stand around for like 30 minutes to cook myself a meal.

Originally posted by Kamil24

I don't really understand the concept of comfort eating. I want to do it but where do you get all the food? And I'm too lazy to stand around for like 30 minutes to cook myself a meal.

Originally posted by Kamil24

I don't really understand the concept of comfort eating. I want to do it but where do you get all the food? And I'm too lazy to stand around for like 30 minutes to cook myself a meal.

Originally posted by Starburst

Blame everyone and everything except the foods you're eating of course.

Originally posted by fridayteenage

If fat shaming makes you eat even more

Does that mean Skinny Shaming songs make you eat even less? So that people like Meghan and Nicki are potentially helping increase eating disorders among those who would be most impacted by them? Hmm.

Originally posted by BeBeMint

The lack of accountability is REAL.