Even 5% Weight Loss May Control Diabetes and Heart Disease in

Just 5% of body weight loss could take obese a long way to fight type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Acting on this insignificant proportion could play significant role in lives of people suffering from obesity. This is a new finding by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Earlier, it was suggested to reduce body weight by about 5 to 10% for good health. But now, the experts recommend something else. “Five percent is really a very reasonable goal for most obese patients to achieve, it’s much easier than 10%”, said senior author Dr. Samuel Klein of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

For the study, the researchers put 40 participants on goals to either reduce their body weight by 5, 10 or 15%, or to stay at their current body weight. There were 19 participants, out of 20, to be able to achieve the target of 5% weight loss. Some of them even reduced more than that. The average weight of participants was about 106 kg, which was reduced to 100.8 kg after achieving the target of 5%.

After the experiment, the participants were tested for diabetes and heart disease risk. Participants, who maintained their body weight, underwent test after six months, while the group which reduced body weight by 5% were tested after four months. For reducing 11% and 16% of the weight, tests were conducted after six and 11 months respectively.

The results of the tests disclosed the facts that people who targeted 5% of their body weight were able to reduce overall fat mass. In those people, there was improvement in function of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Improvement was also seen in sensitivity of their liver and muscle to the effects of the hormone insulin. Reduction in weight by more than 5% could improve these functions even more, as per the study.

Forbes News reported that, they also had improvements in glucose levels, triglyceride (blood fat) levels, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and the hunger hormone leptin. The 5% weight loss did not affect cholesterol levels, either “good” or “bad” varieties.

“These results demonstrate you get a large bang for your buck with a 5% weight loss,” said study author Samuel Klein. “Based on these findings, we should reconsider changing current obesity practice guidelines to stress a target goal of 5% weight loss, rather than 5% to 10% weight loss, which increases the perception of failure when patients do not achieve weight losses that are greater than 5%.”

ExaminerGazette news report said, although scientists hypothesize that increased inflammation in fat tissue contributes to metabolic problems such as insulin resistance, this study found that the metabolic function could improve while markers of inflammation remain unchanged.

“Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with five percent weight loss”, says Samuel Klein, professor of medicine and nutritional science and chief of the geriatrics and nutritional science division at Washington University in St. Louis. But until now, there has been little research into the effects of losing 5% rather than 10%, which is tougher to achieve.

According to the HuffingtonPost News, Good news for anyone who is obese and trying to get healthier: Losing just 5 percent of your body weight can lead to significant improvements in insulin sensitivity, which can reduce the risk of major health issues like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cell Metabolism.

“Even though five percent weight loss may not have dramatic cosmetic benefits, it does have significant health benefits,” said the study’s author, Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine. “You’re much healthier on the inside, and it’s a really reasonable and legitimate target for people with obesity.”

Even 5% Weight Loss May Control Diabetes and Heart Disease in