Benefits of losing weight may abide even if pounds return

It's better to lose weight and regain it than never to lose it at all. That’s the upshot of an analysis of more than 100 studies, which found that people who lost weight through an intensive behavioral program experienced health benefits even if they later regained some pounds.

Researchers found that compared with others, people who went through an intensive program that encouraged lifestyle and dietary changes registered better results for blood pressure, cholesterol and an indicator of diabetes for at least five years.

Some studies have suggested that weight loss followed by regain may increase cardiovascular risk.

Susan A. Jebb, co-senior author of the study, said the new work "should provide reassurance that weight loss programs are effective in controlling cardiovascular risk factors and very likely to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease." Jebb is a professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford in England.

People affected by obesity or who are overweight are more likely to have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of which heighten the risk of cardiovascular disease. They also are at risk for insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 diabetes.

For the new analysis, researchers combined the results of 124 studies. They totaled more than 50,000 participants, with an average follow-up of 28 months. Participants had a body mass index of 33, which is considered obese, and a median age of 51.

Weight loss across the different studies ranged from 5 to 10 pounds on average, and weight regain averaged from about a quarter to three-fourths of a pound in a year.

Participants who lost weight through an intensive program were compared with people in a less-intensive or no program. On average, in the intensive group:

• Systolic (top number) blood pressure was 1.5 mmHg lower at one year and 0.4 mmHg lower at five years.
• The percentage of HbA1c, a protein in red blood cells used to test for diabetes, was reduced by 0.26 at both one and five years.
• The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol was 1.5 points lower after one year and five years.

In a preliminary finding, the decreased risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or Type 2 diabetes appeared to remain lower even after weight regain. However, few studies followed people for more than five years, and "more information is needed to confirm whether this potential benefit persists," Jebb said.