New research has revealed that a careless comment about a child's weight can have lifelong repercussions.
Doctors found that adults who remembered their parents making comments about how much they weighed were more likely to believe they needed to lose up to 20lbs - even if they weren't overweight.
The potentially frightening effect of these seemingly innocuous comments was laid bare in a
study of 501 young women ranging in age from 20 to 35.
The women were asked to indicate their weight satisfaction, eating habits, and BMI along with their recall of the extent to which their parents made weight-related or eating-related comments about them as a young girl.
Shockingly, women whose parents made comments about their weight were more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies as grown-ups. And it didn't matter how frequently it was mentioned, the damage was the same:
“We asked the women to recall how frequently parents commented, but the telling thing was that if they recalled it happening at all, it had as bad an influence as if it happened all the time,” lead author Dr. Brian Wansink told the New York Times: “A few comments were the same as commenting all the time. It seems to make a profound impression.”
The takeaway for parents? Never mention a child's weight while they are within earshot or you could be setting them up for a battle with their body image for life. Instead, experts recommend focusing on maintaining a healthy diet and making exercise enjoyable.
Did your parents comment on your weight when you were a child? Did it affect you in adulthood? Join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilydotie. 
