Bullying makes you fat

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

Obese teens are often raised and bullied about their figure. It is now clear: Bullying has an unfavorable effect on the body mass index and the body fat percentage.

“Big cow”, “fat sack” or “buffeting” - these are insults that many overweight people get to hear. Children and young people in particular can be really mean and like to tease classmates with a little more on their hips. But what influence does figure-related teasing have on the body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage of victims of bullying?

Teasing about being overweight

Scientists working with Prof. Natasha Schvey from Yale University asked 110 adolescents who were overweight or at risk of being overweight about their experiences with weight-related bullying. Students reported how often they were teased about their weight.

The average age of the participants was 11.8 years. The scientists also recorded the BMI and body fat percentage of the students. After an average of 8.5 years, they asked and re-examined the young participants.

Victims of bullying continue to increase

Children who were bullied more than average gained a third more weight in the following 8.5 years than children who were teased less often. Bullying apparently has an even stronger effect on the body fat percentage: Those who were bullied a lot had a 91 percent higher fat gain per year. That corresponds to an additional 0.65 kilograms of fat.

“In adolescents who are overweight or obese, weight-dependent bullying increases weight and fat gain,” the researchers write.

The study cannot reveal the exact mechanism of bullying and weight gain. It is known, however, that bullying causes considerable emotional stress and suffering - and stress promotes weight gain through various mechanisms. This includes a compensation of the grief by eating, but also changes in the metabolism.

One in ten people is bullied

Almost every tenth 15-year-old student in Germany is repeatedly the target of gossip and ridicule. Every sixth person regularly becomes a victim of physical violence. Bullying leaves its mark. Low self-esteem, isolation, fear, sadness and depression are the result and often persist into adulthood.

Anyone who is a victim of psychological or physical violence should turn to someone they trust and talk about the problems. Schoolchildren who prefer to remain anonymous can find help on the children's and youth hotline Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 116 111.

Parents of those affected can contact the parents' telephone on 0800 111 0 550 Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tags:  interview digital health nourishment