Encouraging Dieting and Weight Loss Can Shape Youth Body Image Into Adulthood

A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health reveals that encouragement to diet during adolescence can have lasting effects on body satisfaction well into adulthood, even as such comments turn into less frequent over time.

Researchers tracked 994 individuals from adolescence into adulthood over a 13-year period as part of Project EAT, a long-running study led by Professor Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. The study examined how “weight talk”—comments about body size, dieting, or weight loss from parents and romantic partners—evolves and impacts body satisfaction across developmental stages.

Although encouragement to diet declined significantly from adolescence into adulthood, it remained strongly associated with lower body satisfaction across all years studied. This indicates that the impact of weight talk persists with age, even when the frequency of such comments decreases.

The findings, published in the journal Body Image, highlight that messages about dieting and weight received during vulnerable developmental years can be internalized and contribute to long-term body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and internalized weight stigma.

Young adults today spend significant time on social media platforms saturated with exercise influencers and appearance-focused content that often reinforce unrealistic body ideals. For many, these online messages are echoed in home environments through weight-related conversations with family and partners.

While such remarks may be intended as supportive or harmless, they can negatively influence self-perception and health behaviors over time. The study underscores the importance of fostering environments that promote body acceptance and holistic health rather than focusing on weight.

Further research is needed to understand how interventions might reduce harmful weight talk and support healthier body image development across the lifespan.