Losing 5% of weight in middle age linked to heart health — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, researchers at University College London analyzed data from more than 6,000 people and found an association between losing at least 5% of body weight in middle age and better metabolic and cardiovascular health indicators in later life. The Guardian reports the study’s findings.

Indicators compared at age 62

The study participants were people born in the United Kingdom in 1958. Scientists identified the highest body mass index that participants had reached by age 42, then checked whether they had lost or gained at least 5% of their weight by age 50 and whether this difference remained at age 55.

At age 62, people who had been overweight and lost weight between the ages of 40 and 50 had cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and inflammation markers similar to those of people who had maintained a healthy weight throughout their lives. These parameters are important indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic health.

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Study limitations

The study’s lead author, Charis Bridger-Staatz of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said that even moderate weight loss among people in their 50s may improve quality of life and potentially reduce the risk of heart problems. At the same time, the researchers stressed that this was an observational study, so it does not make it possible to establish a causal relationship.

Study co-author Laura Gimeno said the findings point to possible long-term benefits of weight loss. She also noted that further weight gain in middle age was consistently associated with the fastest deterioration in cardiovascular and metabolic health indicators.