Small Weight Loss - Big Health Benefits
You don't have to lose a lot for some major health gains.
Here's what just a 5% weight loss can do.
What Can 5% Do for You?
- You don’t have to slim down to your high school size to get real health benefits.
- Losing just a few pounds makes a big difference.
- 5 percent of your body weight,10 pounds for a 200-pound person, can improve all kinds of health problems & make you feel better, too.
- Talk to your doctor about whether it might help you.
Ease Up on Joints
- Just 10 extra pounds add 40 pounds of pressure on your knees & other lower body joints.
- That can wear them out quicker.
- Extra fat can also cause inflammation, when chemicals in your body damage your own
tissues over time, including your joints. - Losing even a little weight can ease these effects.
- If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get arthritis later in life.
Cut Your Chances of Cancer
- One study showed that older women who lost at least 5% of their body weight lowered their chances of breast cancer by 12%.
- There’s no such clear proof that losing weight protects you from other types, but some
changes that happen when you shed pounds hint that it might. - For example, overweight people who slim down have lower levels of some hormones linked
to cancer, like estrogens, insulin & androgens.
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- If you’re more likely to get the condition, weight loss is one of two ways to prevent or delay it.
- The other is moderate exercise, 30 minutes on 5 days a week.
- If you weigh 160 pounds, you could lose just 8-12 of them to get the benefit.
- If you already have diabetes, losing that weight can help you take less medication, keep
control of your blood sugar, & lower the odds that the condition will cause other health problems.
A “Good” Cholesterol Bump
- You can lower your LDL or “bad” cholesterol with healthier food & medications.
- But it’s harder to raise levels of the “good” kind of cholesterol, HDL.
- That’s the type that clears bad LDL from your blood, so the more you have, the better.
- Exercise & losing body fat can get you into the ideal HDL range: above 60 mg/dl, which
lowers your odds of having heart disease.
Bring Down Triglycerides
- They’re particles in your body that transport fat for storage & energy.
- High levels (more than 200 mg/dl) mean you’re more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
- You can get closer to healthy levels (around 150 mg/dl) if you slim down a little.
Ease High Blood Pressure
- Extra body weight makes your blood push harder against your artery walls.
- That makes your heart work harder, too.
- You can lower the pressure by about 5 points if you trim 5% from that number on the scale.
- Cut your salt & eat plenty of vegetables, fruits & low-fat dairy & you may lower it even more.
Stop Sleep Apnea
- People who are overweight gain extra tissue in the back of their throat.
- When your body relaxes when you sleep, that tissue can drop down & block your airway.
- It makes you stop breathing over& over all night, which causes all kinds of health problems, especially for your heart.
- Slimming down a little can open help with sleep apnea,sometimes enough that you can stop using the bulky breathing devices that treat it.
Reverse Insulin Resistance
- Body fat, especially in your belly area, gives off chemicals that make your body stop
reacting to the effects of insulin, a hormone that keeps the level of sugar in your blood
normal.
- Even though your pancreas works harder to make more insulin, your blood sugar can get
too high. - A little bit of weight loss can help reverse this effect.
Sleep Longer & Better
- Some studies have shown that not getting enough ZZZs can make you more likely to be
obese. - Others show that losing at least 5% of excess weight can lead to better sleep.
- But don’t overdo it.
- Sleeping too much isn’t good for your weight or your health.
A Better Mood
- Weight loss may help chase your blues away.
- Scientists are still trying to work out why, but better body image & improved sleep may be
part of the reason. - In one study, depressed people who were very overweight felt better after they lost an
average of 8% of their body weight. - Other research shows you’ll continue to feel better, even after 2 years -- as long as you
keep the weight off.