Extra belly fat, and being unfit before your teens linked to mental health issues

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-08-27 01:00

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US researchers suggest preadolescent kids who are carrying extra weight around their middle, as well as those with bad cardio fitness, could be more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression, compared to their leaner and fitter peers. The relatively small study looked at just over 200 kids aged 8 to 11 years, and found that greater lean mass and higher fitness levels in the kids was linked to fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, whereas higher levels of visceral adipose tissue - the fat we develop in our abdomen around our organs - was linked to higher levels of both. Higher body fat percentage was only linked to higher levels of anxiety, they add.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Northeastern University, Boston, USA

Funder: Support for this project was provided by the National Institute of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant No. R01HD094054).

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