Washington: According to a research, published American Heart Association journal, losing weight with some lifestyle changes was associated with a decrease risk factors for cardiovascular disease for at least five years.
People affected by obesity or who are overweight are at increased risk for high cholesterol and high blood pressure -- factors that heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease; as well as insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Globally, overweight and obesity contributed to 2.4 million deaths in 2020, according to the American Heart Association's 2023 Statistical Update.
Behavioural weight loss programs can help people lose and maintain a healthy weight by encouraging lifestyle and behaviour changes, such as eating healthy foods and increasing physical activity. Regaining some weight is common after behavioural weight loss programs.
"Many doctors and patients recognize that weight loss is often followed by weight regain, and they fear that this renders an attempt to lose weight pointless," said study co-senior author Susan A. Jebb, Ph.D., a professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. "This concept has become a barrier to offering support to people to lose weight. For people with overweight or obesity issues, losing weight is an effective way to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."
Researchers combined the results of 124 studies totalling more than 50,000 participants, with an average follow-up of 28 months. They used the combined results to estimate changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes after weight loss. The average weight loss across the different studies ranged from 2-5 kilograms or 5-10 pounds. Weight regain averaged 0.12 to 0.32 kg (0.26 pounds to 0.7 pounds) a year. Participants were an average age 51 years old, with a body mass index of 33, which is considered obese.
Compared to people in a less intensive program and those in no weight loss program, participants who lost weight through an intensive weight loss program had lower risk factors for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. These lower risk factors lasted for at least five years after the weight loss program ended. (with ANI inputs)
