NEW YORK, Oct 04 (Reuters Health) -- Even slight reductions in weight can have a significant, positive impact on the health of overweight individuals, according to researchers.
"A lot of people think that in order to have any health benefits associated with weight loss they have to look like an aerobic instructor," said study co-author and health economist Dr. David Thompson. "But studies have shown that even a modest amount of weight loss of 5% to 10% -- providing that you keep it off -- is going to have very nice health benefits in the years ahead."
In an interview with Reuters Health, Thompson, a researcher with Policy Analysis Inc. in Brookline, Massachusetts, explained that "Americans who are overweight probably encompass more than half of the adult population." But he said that, despite this obesity 'epidemic,' "people are gaining weight all around us and just don't really take it seriously."
Many overweight or obese individuals believe that only a drastic reduction in body weight can prompt improvements in health. But the study findings reveal that losing even a small amount of weight produces significant health benefits.
The findings, published in the October issue of the American Journal of Public Health, sought to determine "the lifetime health and economic benefits of sustained modest weight loss among obese persons," based on a 10% reduction in weight.
The investigators found that sustained weight loss of 10% reduced coronary heart disease risks among obese persons from 50 to 38 cases per every 1,000 individuals. The number of years a person would expect to have hypertension was also reduced from 4.1 to 2.9 with the same 10% loss in weight. Furthermore, average life expectancy would increase anywhere from 2 to 7 months in men, and 2 to 5 months in women.
There were significant economic benefits linked to weight loss, as well. According to the researchers, individuals who lose 10% of total body weight -- and keep the weight off -- can expect to save about $5,200 in medical costs over the course of their lifespan. These costs include expenditures that would have otherwise been spent treating hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or a number of other obesity-related conditions.
Thompson suggests that "if you reduce your body weight -- try to get it down as close as you can to a healthy level and keep that weight off. You can have tangible benefits with respect to reductions in the risk of various diseases -- coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes -- and your medical care costs will be reduced as well."
