Evidence suggests that body dissatisfaction may relate to biological processes and that
negative cognitions can influence physical health through the complex pathways linking psychological and
biological factors. The present study investigates the relationships between body image satisfaction, cytokine
levels, physical activity and obesity in 96 asymptomatic middle-aged men and women (48 normal and 48
overweight). Multivariate analysis showed that body dissatisfaction and physical inactivity were independently
associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-α, also after adjustment for
obesity. The others interactions were also examined to control interactive or synergistic effects and critical
controls known in psychoneuroimmunology related studies. The novel fining is that body image dissatisfaction
is strongly linked to inflammation and may promote the increase in cytokines, representing a relative metabolic
risk, independently of most traditional risk factors such a gender, BMI and intra-abdominal (waist-to-hip ratio)
adiposity. Overall, these results highlight the fact that person’s negative cognitions and physical inactivity
needs to be considered in intervention strategies in treatment of obesity and for health promotion.
