Teenagers who don't manage their anger -- those who either suppress feelings or lose their temper -- are at higher risk for weight gain than those who do a better job, researchers say.
"Problems expressing anger can translate into eating disorders and increased weight, which leads to a high risk of cardiovascular disease at a young age," said William H. Mueller, lead author of the study and professor of behavioral science at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
In the mid-1990s, investigators at the university conducted a pilot study in which they found a strong association between body mass index and internalized anger in teenagers. The association was stronger in girls than in boys.
The study of children ages 8 to 18 observes the development of cardiac structure and function in adolescence. Most of the people in the study were followed for three years.
Besides weight and height, researchers used a test to gauge anger levels that measured "anger-in," "anger-out," "anger control" and "anger expression."
"Anger in" is not expressing feelings out of fear of what other people will think, Mueller said. "Anger out" is yelling, slamming doors and other aggressive behaviors. The "anger control" score measured the level of maturity and healthy expression of feelings. The "anger expression" score is calculated by adding the "anger in" score with the "anger out" score and dividing that number by the "anger control" score.
Researchers found that anger habits in a child tended to remain stable over time. However, average anger control scores increased over time and were higher in children with lower BMIs.
"Unhealthy ways of expressing anger are associated with overweight. 'Anger control' is a healthy way of expressing anger. You don't take things personally. Overweight kids have poor health behaviors, including anger expression, which may lead to increased weight, especially in girls," he said. "These kids develop unhealthy ways of dealing with their emotions. They tend to isolate themselves, watch TV or read rather than connecting with their friends."
Children with high "anger control" scores acknowledge their feelings of anger, but are able to express those feelings appropriately. These children tend to have normal weights.
Mueller presented his results at the American Heart Association's 44th annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.
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