Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health · Nov 1, 2025

Internalized weight stigma, metabolic syndrome, and inflammation in postmenopausal women with obesity

By Pearl RL, Anton SD, Saunders D et al.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship of internalized weight stigma with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and markers of inflammation. METHODS: Postmenopausal women with obesity (N = 101) with high or low scores on the Weight Bias Internalization Scale completed a single assessment visit. MetS components (waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and glucose) were measured, along with body mass index (BMI). Blood samples were drawn to analyze C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and myeloperoxidase. Participants completed a second measure of internalized weight stigma (Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire; WSSQ) and reported medications, demographics, depression symptoms, smoking status, and perceived stress (included as covariates). RESULTS: Logistic regression showed no significant relationship between either measure of internalized weight stigma and MetS when controlling for BMI, depression, and demographics. A small, significant, positive association emerged between WSSQ scores and MetS when adding the covariate of anti-depressant medication (OR = 1.07, p = 0.040). WSSQ scores were associated with significantly greater odds of having high blood pressure (OR = 1.10, p = 0.003) and low HDL cholesterol (OR = 1.06, p = 0.030). Both measures of internalized weight stigma were associated with greater continuous blood pressure values. Inflammatory markers were not associated with internalized weight stigma in most analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Some significant associations were found between internalized weight stigma and MetS components, but more research is needed to clarify these relationships.

doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101129Open accessPubMed 41281898Populations