Big Health Benefits To Small Weight Loss (nytimes.com)

schwit1 writes: Obese individuals who lose as little as 5 percent of their body weight can improve their metabolic function and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study has found. Many current treatment guidelines urge patients to lose between 5% and 10% of their body weight in order to experience health benefits, but the recommendations were based on earlier studies that didn't distinguish between participants who lost only 5 percent of their weight and those who lost more.

Comments

Re:Of course

[snowgirl]

As I noted on the FB page, Type 2 Diabetes tends to be caused by a feedback loop of insulin insensitivity increasing insulin secretion causing increased insensitivity.

Just a little nudge out of that feedback loop can do incredible amounts of good. All you have to do is just break that cycle, and you can potentially walk away from having to constantly worry about your blood sugar. (But of course, much like weight loss, T2D requires a lifestyle change to keep away. It's not a 'take this pill, you're cured!' it's more of a 'pay more attention to your diet regardless, and eat better for the rest of your life.' ... which as the argument I've seen goes, it's a question of which is better or worse.

This reminds me that a T1D can get a pancreas implant, and then no/reduced need of insulin for years... but then you have to take antirejection drugs and all the wonderful side effects of transplants... so which is worse, the cure or the chronic pedantic busy work being your own pancreas...

The Western Lifestyle

[jmd]

In 1999 I had a minor heart attack. Docs put me on cholesterol meds and beta blockers. This was the beginning of the end. Statins caused a lot of problems, cramps, constipation and likely memory loss to name a few. The beta blockers assured me I would stay in good shape through exercise because I could not get my heart rate up to aerobic levels. I worked in construction and this would cost me a couple of jobs over time as I could not do the work. I quit both statins and beta-blockers in 2008-9. But by this time I was up 30lbs and taking high blood pressure meds.

Fast forward. I retired and moved to Thailand. At age 60 I lost the 30 lbs, stopped taking high blood pressure meds and now I'm pretty damn happy living a relatively stress free life and walk most everywhere I go. 5 miles or so a day. Fresh food. The chicken I'm are eating was killed yesterday not 2 weeks ago. The mango was picked yesterday, not 1 week ago.

Best of all.... I have morning erections again.

Re:The Western Lifestyle

[Anonymous Coward]

Based on your anecdote it's hard to see how the main factor in your improved health wasn't the removal of the stressors in your life.

Re:The Western Lifestyle

[DNS-and-BIND]

You could have tried walking 5 miles a day in the West. Fresh food is available as well. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and making you eat that Big Mac. You can say no.

Re:The Western Lifestyle

[Anonymous Coward]

I retired and moved to Thailand. [...] Best of all.... I have morning erections again.

That might be related to living in Thailand, of course.

Re:The Western Lifestyle

[hey!]

You can make the Big Mac the poster boy for bad food, but it's just a drop in an ocean of food that's bad -- at least bad to eat on a consistent basis.

The choice isn't Big Mac or not Big Mac; it's whether you prepare your own food or eat convenience food. The one thing that most clearly correlates with the rise of obesity in the west is the drop in the time people spend preparing their own food. It's not just that you get control over what goes into your food, people tend to make different choices when they cook for themselves. Harry Balzer, a food industry marketing consultant, suggests eating whatever you want -- if you want to have apple pie, cookies and ice cream for dinner, go ahead. Just make them all yourself; it's a practical certainty that you won't eat that way very often.

When people make the majority of their own food, they settle into a predictable pattern for most of their cooking: they buy good ingredients and prepare them simply. Even if you tried to eat that way out of restaurants, eventually you'd slip into bad eating patterns because there's nothing but mindfulness and willpower keeping you from doing that -- and those are in limited supply for all of us. Take french fries; there's nothing wrong with an occasional meal of fries, but limiting them to a reasonable fraction of your diet takes attention when they're on offer every day. But if you made your own french fries, that's a self limiting process. It's not even all that hard to do, but contemplating the modest effort involved makes you pause to think about whether you really want fries tonight. When the waiter asks "do you want fries with that?" you tend to say yes if you might want fries.

I love going out to restaurants, even chain restaurants. I don't think we should villainize the Big Mac; there's nothing wrong with it, so long as it doesn't become your go-to food. But it's so easy for foods you shouldn't be living on to become your staple when you order them at the drive-through or buy them premade at the supermarket and throw it into the microwave.

Run or cycle to work

[MichaelSmith]

Any type of exercise which adds to your list of things to do during the day will eventually get dropped as a low priority. By removing a drive or public transport from your routine you make room for something which can make you healthier.

Re:Of course

[Anonymous Coward]

It's less clear cut than that.

Most of the morbidity/mortality stats don't differentiate between morbidly obese and being overweight. Turns out carrying a few extra pounds doesn't substantially alter life expectancy.

Same with exercise. Newer research suggests as little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise gets most of the same benefits as gym rats.

Bottom line is the margins of what constitutes good health is fuzzier than expected.

And bulimics...

[Chas]

*PUKE*
Okay! I'm down to 100 lbs!
Need to lose 5%! I'll get healthier!
*PUKE*
Okay! I'm down to 95 lbs!
Need to lose 5%! I'll get even healthier!
*PUKE!*
Hey! Is that my spleen?

Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then?

[almostadnsguy]

You would think that insurance companies would be begging if not bribing people to loose weight. I have several friends who have tried to get insurance to help pay for their weight loss surgery to no avail. One is over 200# above his healthy BMI. The cost savings of that surgery should be obvious. Can anyone explain why they won't help out?

Re:Fat people

[PopeRatzo]

God makes us ugly after a point to save us from sex?

No, just sex with other people.

Re:Of course

[buck-yar]

Why insulin resistance develops:

http://faculty.bennington.edu/...

Re:Zero carbs = magic

[FatdogHaiku]

That won't help me much (for example), because besides having metabolic syndrome I also have a hyperuricemia problem: too much protein and some fats will lead me to gout.

So basically I can drink water. For the moment...

You might want to check with a Nephrologist. My GFR was down to 44 (not good) and seeing a kidney specialist and his dietitian put me on the right track. They are chemists, and they explain things from that point of view... it's really helpful. My GFR is now back in the safe zone but I'll be babying my kidneys from now on. I also have gout and take allopurinol and watch out for trigger foods, pork fat and something in Wyler's light drinks are two of mine. Too much protein is bad, and vegetable protein is better than animal as far as my kidneys are concerned. Beans with rice or lentils with barley give a complete protein and are much easier on the body, more on that here: http://www.wikihow.com/Combine-Food-to-Make-Complete-Protein. Good Luck.

Re:Why do Insurance companies make it so hard then

[pnutjam]

He eats like shit, but calorie count is not excessive.