Research
Energy balance
Weight loss of 5-10% of initial body weight significantly reduces chronic disease risk factors (body fat, BMI, waist circumference, resting energy expenditure, insulin, cholesterol, LDL), while weight loss of 10% or greater provides additional significant improvements in blood pressure and triglycerides.
Aiming for a 5-10% reduction in your initial body weight can significantly improve your cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. If you can achieve 10% or more, you may see additional improvements in blood pressure and triglycerides. Focus on steady, sustainable weight loss rather than rapid, extreme measures.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Analysis across groups showed that weight loss of 5% to 10% was associated with significant (P = .01) reduction in percentage of body fat, body mass index, waist circumference, resting energy expenditure, insulin level, total cholesterol level, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. Weight loss of 10% or greater was associated with additional significant (P = .05) improvements in blood pressure and triglyceride level.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with subgroup analysis based on weight loss percentage.
Source
Weight Control in the Physician's Office
Judith Ashley et al. · Archives of Internal Medicine · 2001
DOI 10.1001/archinte.161.13.1599
rct · n=113Cited 167×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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