The majority of obese people who try to shed weight are unsuccessful, a new study suggests. Just over a quarter of people living with obesity who had attempted to lose weight managed to lose a significant amount year later.
The new study, which is being presented to the European Congress on Obesity in the Netherlands, examined data on adults from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Researchers, led by Dr Marc Evans from University Hospital Cardiff, looked at information on 1,850 obese adults with an average age of 53, of whom 79% said they had attempted weight loss in the last year.
Most (72%) had attempted diets while others had also turned to exercise, had weight loss surgery, tried medication or used apps. Researchers found that among those who had attempted to lose weight, 73.4% had not achieved “clinically meaningful” weight loss.
