Childhood trauma and its impact on obesity

Understanding the connection: Childhood trauma and its impact on obesity

The World Health Organization acknowledges obesity as a worldwide phenomenon that increased from 200 million obese adults in 1995 to more than 300 million as the new millennium unfolded.

In 2022, the number of people classified as obese grew almost threefold to a staggering 890 million across the globe. This led to an estimated 1 in 8 people in the world living with obesity today, including 160 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19.

Obesity is described as a “complex condition, one with social and psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries”.

Even more tragic is the millions of children (as young as five years of age) struggling with weight issues; a significant percentage take these issues into and beyond adulthood.

The unseen causes of overeating

When considering the causes of obesity, many factors are at play, including the well-documented impact of diet, portion size, and the availability of healthier and more nutritious food sources.

It is, however, important to recognise the role of mental well-being among those suffering from eating disorders. In a study conducted in 2016, Professor Lisa Micklesfield from the South African Medical Research Council found that 83% of girls in rural areas wanted to be either thinner or fatter showing how “the adoption of Western ideals is in conflict with traditional norms”.

The study noted an alarming increase in eating disorders among black women and girls in both urban and rural areas. Professor Christopher Szabo, Head of Psychiatry at Wits University, refers to eating disorders (including obesity) as “powerful indicators of distress that go beyond food and body issues alone”.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of trauma (such as neglect and abuse) could pose a real threat to body image and mental stability, leading to the practice of finding solace in food, binge eating, and more.

Swallowing the hurt: The effects of childhood trauma

Trauma in childhood, classified by psychologists as adverse childhood experiences (ACE), includes physical and emotional abuse, neglect, mental illness, substance abuse in the home, and being exposed to domestic violence.

In 2016, the Optimus Study (conducted among high school learners across South Africa) found that a horrifying one in every three South African children experiences some form of sexual abuse. Additionally, 15,1% of the respondents reported some form of neglect, and 34,8% of the learners reported physical abuse.

This type of trauma has a significant link to developing mental illnesses later in life. Joseph Lloyd Davies, a specialist and lecturer in Applied Psychology at the Cardiff Metropolitan University, refers to studies showing that people exposed to four or more of these adverse childhood experiences are twice as likely to follow an unhealthy diet. He explains that victims of childhood trauma tend to engage in harmful behaviour such as self-harming, substance abuse, and binge eating as a form of distraction to avoid addressing deeply painful issues rooted in traumatic childhood events.

Biting back the tears

A common method of avoidance and distraction is emotional eating, which is the tendency to literally bite back the tears by eating foods high in fat and sugar.

These foods can comfort us since they activate the reward and pleasure system of the brain and release dopamine, the so-called “feel-good” hormone. However, this can easily turn into a vicious cycle of recurrent overeating or bingeing to chase the very temporary “high” feelings of pleasure and consolation.

By relying on regular comfort eating to negate negative emotions, weight gain and obesity is the unfortunate result. This, in turn, could lead to serious health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, which further reduces overall quality of life.

How to break free from overeating

• Acknowledge that you have a problem that is fuelled by emotional dissatisfaction or distress.

• Use cognitive therapy (proven as an effective tool) to combat trauma and its associated behavioural patterns such as overeating. By understanding your triggers, and integrating methods to manage them, you are in fact “rewiring” your brain to react differently to stress and trauma and employing coping strategies that are not to your detriment.
  

• Do not underestimate the value of mindfulness as a healthy way to acknowledge feelings and thoughts without judgement.

• Consult with a nutritionist. Healthier options stabilise glucose levels, inhibiting physical cravings.

Written for Medihelp by Maritha Broschk