When thinking about losing weight, we often have an ideal body weight in mind, or long-term goal which is okay. Though it is very common for people to think they need to lose heaps of kilograms to be healthier, this is wrong. Major health benefits have been shown from just losing 5-10% of your body weight. Regardless of your ultimate weight-loss goal, starting off with a small, manageable number is a smart strategy for staying motivated and build from there. Research has shown even if you don’t reach a weight or BMI that is considered optimal, you can still improve your health, reduce your risk of chronic diseases, and improve your quality of life with a weight loss of 5-10% of your initial body weight.
Such markers of improved health include:
We know medications can help reduce the bad (LDL) cholesterol however it can be challenging increasing the good (HDL) cholesterol. A 5-10% weight loss has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol by a five point increase. By raising the good HDL by these few points can lower the risk of developing heart disease. HDL cholesterol above 1.0mmol/L is considered protective against heart disease.
Excess body weight makes your blood push harder against your artery walls and accounts for about 25-30% of cases of hypertension. As body weight increases, it causes haemodynamic abnormalities and other changes that result in elevated blood pressure. By losing 5-10% of one’s body weight, blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, decrease by 5 mmHg on average.
We all know weight loss and exercise can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. One of the laboratory markers used to screen for diabetes and to monitor its treatment is called Haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), which is a long term indicator of blood sugar levels. HbA1C levels should be below 6.5mmol/L. Research has shown that a 5-10% weight loss can decrease this marker by half a point on average. This comes close to the effect that some medications may have on blood sugars!
With long term weight gain, insulin resistance may occur. Insulin is a hormone responsible for keeping blood sugar levels normal. Insulin resistance is where the pancreas produces larger than normal amounts of the hormone in a response to overcome resistant tissues (muscle and liver). Higher levels of circulating insulin in the blood causes an increase in fat storage, especially in places where fat should not be stored, such as surrounding the pancreas, liver, kidneys, heart and muscle. This leads to the accumulation of the harmful visceral fat, which causes inflammation and weakens the function of the organ tissue where it is stored. Therefore any weight loss at all is beneficial and will begin to reverse all of the above!
Studies investigating at the effect of excess weight on cells of the human body found that fat cells, and especially abdominal fat cells, produce a large number of inflammatory markers that result in inflammation in blood vessels. This inflammation can result in an increase in plaque and clots which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The research shows that a 10% weight reduction achieves a significant drop in the levels of inflammatory substances circulating in the blood, therefore the risk of vascular damage is reduced.
Just an extra 5kg can feel like 20kg to the knees and lower joints, this pressure leads to faster wear and tear but also extra fat can also cause inflammation when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints. Losing even a little weight can ease these effects and also much less likely to develop arthritis later in life.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder commonly diagnosed in patients with excess weight that then snore or gasp for air during sleep. It’s caused by pauses and gaps in breathing during sleep and results in insufficient oxygenation. When sleep apnea is significant, oxygen levels in the blood are too low during sleep and the use of a breathing machine called CPAP is necessary. It has been shown that a 5-10% weight loss may improve sleep apnea and potentially one can be weaned from the CPAP breathing machine if their case is not severe.
On that note, sleep quality and quantity is likely to improve with weight loss. But you won’t see much of a change unless you drop at least 5% body weight. In one study, people slept an extra 21.6 minutes a night, compared with only 1.2 minutes for those who lost less than 5% of their body weight.
Overall aiming initially for 5-10% weight loss of your body weight is a great starting point when considering to lose weight. This may not sound like much to start with, however can have profound positive effects on the human body and general health. With such positive results, motivation is likely to increase and weight loss may further or at least be maintained.
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