Mar 29, 2016

Moderate weight loss of 5% to 10% to achieve improvements health in Obesity problem – Corpus Christi Health – Daily Star Gazette

Obesity is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Most treatment guidelines, including those recently proposed by several major medical and scientific societies, recommend moderate weight loss of 5% to 10% to achieve improvements in metabolic function and health.

Forty Obesity were randomly assigned to either lose weight on a calorie-restricted diet, or to maintain their current weight

Importantly, all of the study participants showed signs of insulin-resistant glucose metabolism–a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. When blood glucose levels rise after a meal, beta cells in the pancreas release a hormone called insulin into the blood, stimulating muscle, fat, and liver cells to take up the excess glucose. But in individuals with insulin resistance, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Among the 19 individuals who lost 5% of their body weight, beta cell function improved significantly, as did insulin sensitivity in fat tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle. Meanwhile, the nine participants who achieved additional weight loss showed further improvements in beta cell function and insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue. “Taken together, the findings show that 5% weight loss is sufficient to improve health outcomes, with additional weight loss further decreasing risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

People with low insulin sensitivity, also referred to as insulin resistance, will require larger amounts of the hormone in order to keep blood glucose stable.

In people who are insulin resistant, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, eventually leading to type 2 diabetes.

“Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with five percent weight loss,” said principal investigator Samuel Klein, director of Washington University’s Center for Human Nutrition.

Those who lost 10 percent or more of their body weight saw continued improvements in some areas—like muscle tissue—but not in liver function or fat tissue, suggesting these “have pretty much achieved their maximum benefit at five percent weight loss,” added Klein.

According to current guidelines, people who struggle with obesity are urged to lose five to 10 percent of their body weight.

Meanwhile, nine of those study patients continued to lose weight, eventually reaching 15 percent weight loss. They experienced further improvements in beta cell function and insulin sensitivity in muscle tissue, but neither insulin sensitivity in the liver nor adipose (fat) tissue continued to improve with the greater weight loss.

“Continued weight loss is good, but not all organ systems respond the same way,” Klein said. “Muscle tissue responds much more to continued weight loss, but liver and adipose tissue have pretty much achieved their maximum benefit at 5 percent weight loss.”

For Obese people, The first 5% of weight loss offers the greatest health benefits

Interestingly, markers of inflammation, which are elevated in people with obesity, didn’t change much when study subjects lost a moderate amount of weight. Although scientists hypothesize that increased inflammation in fat tissue contributes to metabolic problems such as insulin resistance, this study found that metabolic function could improve while markers of inflammation remain unchanged.

That element of the research will require further study. Klein also wants to expand the study to people who have diabetes.

“We don’t know whether people with diabetes will have the same response to this type of progressive weight loss, so it will be important in the future to repeat this type of study in people who have type 2 diabetes,” he said.

In the meantime, less is more when it comes to setting realistic goals, he said.

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