Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Pershing Square Foundation-Supported Study: 5% Weight Loss Can Make A Difference for Obese People
Those who struggle with obesity, take heart. Losing as little as 5% of your body weight is enough to reap significant health benefits, according to a study published February 22 in Cell Metabolism. The randomized controlled trial of 40 obese men and women compared, for the first time, the health outcomes of 5%, 10%, and 15% weight loss. While additional weight loss further improved metabolic health, 5% weight loss was sufficient to reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
"These results demonstrate you get a large bang for your buck with a 5% weight loss," says senior study author Samuel Klein of Washington University School of Medicine. "Based on these findings, we should reconsider changing current obesity practice guidelines to stress a target goal of 5% weight loss, rather than 5% to 10% weight loss, which increases the perception of failure when patients do not achieve weight losses that are greater than 5%." . . .
This study was supported by National Institutes of Health and grants from the Pershing Square Foundation and the Longer Life Foundation. . .