Dietary and nutritional content reviewed by Jasmin Gorostiza, DT, DM, DSS, CFPP.️
We’ve known for a while now of the benefits of weight loss for our health. But now there’s been a recent study which shows us that if you lose weight at any age while you are an adult, there are real long term benefits to be gained for your heart health. The results of the study were published in the medical journal “The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology”.
The study looked at the health data of a total of almost 3,000 men and women living in the United Kingdom. It was a big study that ran over more than 60 years, starting from the time of the participants’ birth in March 1946. At different stages of their lives, they were evaluated to see whether they fell into the categories of being normal weight, overweight or obese. This was done when they were children, at the ages 36, 43, 53, and from the age of 60 to 64.
Link Between Excess Fat and Heart Disease
The researchers found that people who had excess body fat for a longer period of time in their adult lives had a higher risk of heart disease. These people had risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. But the study also made the important finding that if you lost weight, then your risk of getting these problems was lower. Related Read: It’s Time To Buy Nutrisystem Frozen Food
These people had risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. But the study also made the important finding that if you lost weight, then your risk of getting these problems was lower.
Overweight people who lost weight and brought their weight down to normal reduced their risk of heart disease. But it isn’t just those who lose weight to get to normal weight that reduce their risk. It was found that people who were obese before and moved down to being overweight after losing weight also lowered their risk of heart disease. Related read: how losing weight with Nutrisystem can make you healthy
John Deanfield of the University College London, who is the lead researcher of this study, said that because this study followed people over a long period of time, it let them track real life changes in body fat and look at what effect they had on the health of the individuals.
It was found that people who were obese before and moved down to being overweight after losing weight also lowered their risk of heart disease.
Why Losing Weight Can Make A Big Difference
Interestingly though, it was pointed out by two other researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Elizabeth Cespedes and Frank Hu, that only 2 percent of the people in the study were able to maintain their weight loss. What this goes to show is that weight loss is achievable, but what’s more difficult is to keep off the pounds you work so hard to lose.
What this goes to show is that weight loss is achievable, but what’s more difficult is to keep off the pounds you work so hard to lose.
It’s important for people to realize that they should be making long term healthy lifestyle changes so that they can keep their weight at a healthy level. A study like this is a big reminder for us that weight loss is important for our heart health. Being overweight or obese can cause you problems like high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, which can lead to unwanted complications in life and premature death. Related read: Start losing weight with the latest promo code from Nutrisystem
But the important thing to note here, as this study shows, is that it is never too early or too late to lose weight. You can make a difference to your life and reduce your risk of heart disease by losing weight at any age. To keep your risk low and your cardiovascular system functioning well, it’s important to keep weight off and aim to maintain a healthy weight.
Have you started on a program to keep your heart healthy? Have made lifestyle changes to achieve this?
It’s not easy to teach kids how to eat right. There’s always some kind of resistance especially if they have been so used to eating junk food. It’s hard to change a habit but we always have to work on it. As parents, we can’t give up on our kids’ diet.
Losing weight is really a life changing experience. It makes a huge difference because we feel and look better.
Nobody really wants to be overweight, more so obese. Unfortunately not everybody has access to healthy food. Most folks still think that healthy and good tasting food is expensive. So they resort to processed food that’s readily available. Medifast is healthy, good tasting, and affordable.
The key really is to eat healthy. This goes for folks that aren’t even obese at all. There are a lot of kids nowadays that suffer from high cholesterol; all because of the food they eat.