Energy balance
Weight loss achieved through reduced energy intake and increased energy expenditure reduces the risk and severity of obesity-associated diseases (including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer) in a dose-related manner, where greater weight loss yields better health outcomes.
To improve your health, you need to create a calorie deficit (eat less, move more). The more weight you lose, the more your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related conditions decreases. Even a modest loss of 5-10% of your body weight provides significant health benefits, even if it doesn't look like a huge change in the mirror. Focus on the health metrics (blood pressure, blood sugar) as much as the scale.
Weight loss reduces all of these diseases in a dose-related manner—the more weight lost, the better the outcome. Weight loss is best achieved by reducing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure.
Why this rating
This is a high-level scientific statement from the Endocrine Society summarizing extensive clinical evidence.
Source
The Science of Obesity Management: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement
George A. Bray et al. · Endocrine Reviews · 2018
DOI 10.1210/er.2017-00253
More from this paper
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- Obesity is a stigmatized condition where the desire for cosmetic weight loss often exceeds the desire for health benefits, leading to a mismatch between patient expectations and clinical outcomes, which negatively affects treatment adherence and drug regulation.Good
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →