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Less 'Experienced Weight Stigma' After Bariatric Surgery Aids Mental Health

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on June 6, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- Experienced weight stigma (EWS) improves from pre- to post-metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS), according to a study published online June 5 in Health Psychology.

Larissa A. McGarrity, Ph.D., from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues used psychometrically validated measures to examine change in weight stigma from pre to post-MBS in a study involving 148 patients who completed both pre-MBS psychological examination and follow-up assessment 1.5 to 3.0 years post-MBS.

The researchers found that from pre- to post-MBS, EWS improved significantly, by both statistical and clinically meaningful standards. There was an association for this change with improvements in mental health, dysregulated eating, and reduced body mass index (BMI). Both changes in and post-MBS EWS predicted mental health, dysregulated eating, and BMI in regression models controlling demographic covariates and each outcome at baseline.

"Weight loss is helpful for a whole lot of things, but that change in weight stigma may actually be the more powerful thing for mental health and quality of life over time," McGarrity said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted June 2025

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