Making fat people feel bad about their weight only makes them heavier, according to researchers who say that weight discrimination should be treated like sexism or racism.
“Shaming and blaming” fat people is counterproductive and society needs to confront one of “the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice”, the scientists said.
Overweight people who felt discriminated against put on almost 1kg (2.2lb) over four years, while those who did not lost weight, their study found.
Researchers said that people who were made to feel bad about their weight were more likely to resort to comfort eating and felt too ashamed to exercise.
“There is no justification for discriminating against people because of their weight,” Sarah Jackson, of University College London, who led the study, said.