Midlife weight loss boosts life expectancy

Losing weight in middle age may reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, other chronic conditions and premature death, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. The study, conducted in Finland, followed 23,149 adults aged 30 to 50 for 12 to 35 years. Participants were categorised based on changes in their body mass index (BMI): those who maintained a healthy weight, those who lost weight from overweight to healthy, those who gained weight and those who remained overweight.

 

Overweight men and women who lost an average of 6.5 per cent of their body weight during their 40s—without surgery or weight loss medications—and maintained this loss throughout the follow-up period, experienced significant health benefits. They had a 48 per cent lower risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma and lung disease, and a 19 per cent lower risk of death from any cause over the next 35 years.

 

The study is particularly relevant because weight loss and the related long term health benefits were achieved and maintained when surgeries and weight-loss medications were largely unavailable. “The findings will inspire people to see that lifestyle changes can lead to major health improvements and a longer life,” said the study.

Health