Losing Just 10 Percent of Weight Can Reduce Heart Ailment Risk in Middle-Aged Women: Study

Obese middle-aged women can lower their risk of heart diseases by losing even just 10 percent of their weight, a latest study shows.

Researchers studied 417 women, with 44 with average weight. The women participated in a 24-month weight loss program. Researchers found that women who lost 10 percent or more weight reduced their total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, glucose and inflammation markers.  participants weighed nearly 200 pounds at the time of the study.

The study results showed that women who were at highest risk of developing heart ailments were most benefited by the modest weight loss.

"It is challenging to lose weight, but if women commit to losing 10 percent of their body weight and sustain that over time, it can have a large impact on overall risk factors associated with heart disease and diabetes," Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., co-author and Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Director of the University of Arizona Canyon Ranch Center for Prevention & Health Promotion in Tucson, said in a news release.

The researchers noted that middle-aged women tend to put on weight during forties due to sedentary work life, repeated pregnancy and the transition to menopause. Women who lose weight in short-term programs have higher chances of gaining back the weight they lost.

"Our study revealed the need for healthcare providers to provide women with longer-term support for weight control. It seems to pay off in terms of modifying risk factors for obesity-related disease," Thomson said.

"The good news is that when you lose weight long-term, you just don't move to a smaller dress size, you are actually moving these risk factors markedly and likely reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes," Thomson concluded.