HEALTH UPDATE: family's weight comments cause girls lasting harm

Girls whose families criticise their weight or eating habits may develop lasting problems with body image and self-esteem, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of 455 college women with poor body image, more than 80 percent said their parents or siblings had made negative comments about their bodies during childhood.
Many believed the comments reflected a general lack of love and support or were even part of a pattern of emotional abuse - with some saying family members also called them "ugly," "stupid" or "lazy."
But in more cases than not, the women said their parents or siblings had only occasionally made comments about their weight and body shape.
"The data suggest that even a few comments may have a negative impact," the study authors report in the journal Pediatrics.