A study of nearly 200,000 people found that intentionally losing weight can have long-term health benefits for obese people, regardless of the method or strategy used. People who lost 4.5 kg or more gained less weight and had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who did not lose weight.2 Diabetes.The investigation he will publish on September 27^th in open access journals pros medicine.

Obesity can increase the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Although long-term weight change and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes have not been well studied, weight control can be an effective strategy to prevent and manage obesity and related diseases.

TH Chan, Qi Sun, Harvard School of Public Health, USA, and colleagues included healthy participants from three prospective cohort studies from 1988 to 2017. His cohort was 11.6% male and 14.2% male. They classified methods that led to weight loss of 4.5 kg or more into seven categories: low-calorie diet, exercise, low-calorie diet and exercise, fasting, commercial weight-loss programs, diet pills and fasting, over-the-counter drugs and diet pill combinations. classified. (FCP).

Exercise was the most effective in long-term weight control and prevention in obese patients, with the least weight gain after 4 years. On average he lost 4.2% of his weight at the start in obese people, 2.5% in overweight people and 0.4% in lean people. This was reversed in his FCP, with an obese person maintaining his 0.3% weight loss, an overweight person maintaining his 2% weight gain, and a lean person maintaining her 3.7% weight gain. maintained.

After 24 years, diabetes risk decreased in obese individuals regardless of weight loss strategy. It ranged from a 21% reduction with exercise to a 13% reduction with the diet pill. For overweight people, researchers observed a range from a 9% reduction in type 2 diabetes risk with exercise to a 42% increase in risk for those who took the pill, and in lean people, all Weight loss in diabetes was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes – 9% increase with exercise and 54% increase with pills or FCP.

The authors concluded that weight loss may be beneficial for overweight and obese people, but weight loss strategies do not provide the same benefits for lean people, and that weight loss strategies should only be used by those with medical need. It concludes that there are

We were a little surprised when we first saw a positive association between weight loss attempts in lean people and faster weight gain and higher type 2 diabetes risk. The good news is that obese people can clearly benefit from losing a few pounds. and that the health benefits will last even if the weight loss is temporary.”

Qi Sun, Harvard TH Chang School of Public Health