When it comes to losing weight to improve health, most people have the wrong idea about just how much weight you need to lose to become healthier.
The truth is, losing just a little bit of weight can work wonders.
A new study shows that a 5-10% weight loss is more than enough to see some serious health benefits.
For a person who’s 200 lbs and needs to be 160 to be optimally healthy, this equates to losing as little as 10 lbs.
Here’s what the research found.
How Losing Small Amounts Of Weight Can Affect Your Health Big Time
It’s estimated that nearly 160 million Americans are overweight,.
That’s close to 1 in 2 people weighing more than they should, which could lead to some serious health problems.
To see just how effective weight loss is for improving health researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center took a look at data compiled on 7,670 adults, all of whom had logged personal health info as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Some of the info provided by the participants in this survey included; a participants’ cardiometabolic health, their weight, waist size, blood sugar levels, as well as cholesterol l levels.
Pouring over the data they were able to conclude that any participant who achieved weight loss of just 5–10 percent significantly decreased their chances of developing metabolic syndrome. The team said they were 22% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
And if a person lost more than 20% of their weight, they were 53% less likely to have metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is a disease state that has known associations with several life-ending conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Researchers said this proves that anything you can do to lose weight, even if it’s just a small amount, is ultimately good for the body. “If you’re overweight or obese, even losing just a little is better than none. But the rewards appear to be greater for those who manage to lose more.”
“The evidence to date suggests that a 5 to 10 percent weight loss for those with excess weight is beneficial to one’s health. A higher level could potentially lead to lower cardiometabolic risk,” he adds.
Sadly, the study showed that most people who needed to lost weight generally didn’t.
According to their findings 62% of people who needed to lose weight, couldn’t, no matter how hard they tried.
This is what led them to say “Since weight loss is so difficult, a 5 to 10 percent weight loss for those with excess weight should be the target. This should be done gradually through following a [healthful] lifestyle with guidance from experts, such as your primary care provider.”
“Future research…should continue exploring effective strategies to help individuals achieve and maintain a healthy weight which includes individual strategies and social support.”
