Losing weight in your 40s and 50s may seem unbearably hard — but it could keep you alive longer

Working to lose weight in your 40s and 50s may help to reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease, a new study reveals.

Researchers based in the U.K. and Finland say they found health benefits in people who lost an average of 6.5 percent of their body weight in early middle age and maintained that weight loss throughout a period of 12 to 35 years.