Losing Any Is Good - More Is Better

losing weight more is better metabolic syndrome

1 min

If you can drop 20 percent or more of your body weight, you can lower your risk of metabolic syndrome by 53 percent. Paring 15 to 19 percent can cut your risk by 37 percent, while losing between five and 10 percent can reduce it by 22 percent. These findings come from a study of 7,670 overweight or obese people who wanted to lose weight. The bad news is that 62 percent of them were unable to lose between five and 10 percent. Only one in five succeeded in losing between five and 10 percent while only one in 20 lost 20 percent or more of his or her weight.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of detrimental medical conditions including high blood pressure, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, insulin resistance, excess fat around the waist, and high triglycerides. It dramatically increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. “Even losing just a little is better than none,” said study leader Gregory Knell of the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. But, he added, the rewards appear to be greater for those who manage to lose more.

Source:
Gregory Knell et al, “Long-Term Weight Loss and Metabolic Health in Adults Concerned With Maintaining or Losing Weight: Findings From NHANES.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings, August 14, 2018, DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.018

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