Childhood Stress, Hypervigilance, and Obesity: What Every Parent Needs to Know

When we think about obesity, most of us are taught to look at calories, food choices, and exercise. But what if I told you that one of the strongest predictors of obesity has nothing to do with what’s on your plate and everything to do with what happened in your childhood?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are events such as physical or emotional abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, losing a parent, or growing up in a household marked by instability and financial stress. Decades of research show that ACEs don’t just leave emotional scars—they change the way the body develops, how the brain responds to stress, and even how our genes are expressed through epigenetic changes.

How Trauma Gets Under the Skin

Children exposed to repeated or multiple ACEs often live in a state of toxic stress. This is more than just a bad day—it’s the chronic activation of the body’s stress response system. The constant flood of cortisol and adrenaline can alter appetite regulation, slow metabolism, and increase fat storage.

Over time, this hypervigilant state wires the body to seek comfort, often through food. Emotional eating, cravings for high-sugar or high-fat foods, and disrupted sleep patterns become survival strategies. What starts as a coping mechanism in childhood can quietly turn into obesity risk in adulthood.

ACEs, Obesity, and Health Risks

Studies show that individuals with four or more ACEs are significantly more likely to struggle with obesity compared to those with fewer or no ACEs. And this isn’t just about weight—it’s about what comes with it: increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain, and even shortened life expectancy.

When we understand obesity through the lens of trauma, we shift from blame to compassion. We see not just “poor choices” but survival strategies in the face of overwhelming stress.

Breaking the Cycle

The good news is this: the story doesn’t have to end here. Healing is possible. By addressing trauma, building safe relationships, and creating supportive environments, we can help both children and adults regulate stress in healthier ways. This includes:

• Trauma-informed care in schools and clinics

• Safe, nurturing environments at home and in the community

• Mind-body healing practices such as mindfulness, journaling, and somatic therapy

• Breaking the silence by telling our stories

  
  

When people can share their experiences in safe, supportive spaces, they begin to release the weight of unspoken pain—and with it, the body often finds new ways to heal.

An Invitation

If you’ve struggled with weight and wondered why it feels so hard to change, I want you to know: you are not broken. Your body has been protecting you the best way it knew how.

I invite you to share your story here. By speaking the truth of what you’ve carried, you take the first step toward breaking the cycle—for yourself, your children, and generations to come.

Together, we can shift the narrative from shame to healing. Together, we can build healthier, freer futures.

Be heard. Be healed.

With love

Dr. Su