Weight Loss, Diet and Health
Everyone knows that weight loss and improving your diet lead to better health. Yet few people are willing to make the changes necessary to really achieve better health. Need some incentive? Here are the facts about how weight loss and diet really do affect your health
The health benefits of losing 10 % of your body weight
Can losing 10% of your body weight--no matter what weight you are starting from--really help improve your health? Yes, according to G. Ken Goodrick, PhD, psychologist and associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Losing 10% can lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol... and that means lowering your risk of heart disease. (1)
Since heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States (2), and so many Americans are carrying around excess weight, it's time to realize how losing just 10% of your current body weight could really "do your heart good."
Four Habits of Highly Healthy People
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, practicing four healthy habits can reduce your risk for heart disease. Currently only 3% of Americans practice these healthy habits.
1) Don't smoke - or quit smoking
2) Aim for a healthy weight
3) Be more physically active
4) Have a doctor check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides) and blood glucose and work with you to improve where needed (3)
Losing Weight Can Help Reduce Your Risk For--or Help You Manage--Diabetes
9 out of 10 people with newly diagnosed type II diabetes are overweight. (4)Â According to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Lifestyle interventions that reduce or prevent the prevalence of obesity among persons at risk for diabetes are needed to halt the increasing incidence of this disease." (5) Patients who already have diabetes can improve their blood glucose levels by losing just 10% of their body weight, and for those who are at risk for getting type II diabetes, losing weight now could prevent you from developing type ii diabetes.
Weight Loss to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
In addition to the impact of weight loss on heart health and the body's ability to use insulin, weight loss has even been connected with reducing the risk of breast cancer. One study found that women already at risk for breast cancer due to a gene mutation, who between the ages of 18-30 lost 10 pounds, lowered their risk by 65%. (6) A healthy diet may also help reduce the risk of breast cancer. The diet should be high in fruits and vegetables, low in fats and red and overcooked meats, as well as rich in anti-oxidants. (7)
These are just a handful of reasons to make changes to your diet and lose some weight. Others range from increased energy to less joint pain, and the list could go on because excess weight is connected to so many physical ailments, as is a healthy diet. If you're feeling inspired, you can get started right now by learning about these ways to improve your prognosis:
(1) The Big 10%. Article by Sandra Gordon, on WeightWatchers.com.
(2) U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Health, United States, 2004.
(3) "Good Habits Reduce Risk of Heart Disease." Article by Connie Aclin, on ShreveportTimes.com
(4) American Diabetes Association statistic
(5) The Diabetes Epidemic - Obesity A Major Factor on Medical News Today
(6) Weight Loss May Help Prevent Breast Cancer article by Miranda Hitti
(7) Breast Cancer Prevention - Medincinenet.com
