Mixed
In individuals with obesity and multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), BMI reductions of ≥7% are associated with a lower risk of developing new obesity-related complications (ORCs) and reduced polypharmacy compared to stable BMI, whereas both significant weight loss and weight gain are associated with increased hazards for mental-health conditions, hospitalization, and mortality.
For people with obesity and multiple chronic conditions, losing weight (≥7%) can help prevent new diseases and reduce the number of medications. However, this population also faces higher risks of mental health issues, hospitalization, and mortality with both weight loss and gain compared to maintaining a stable weight. Treatment should be personalized, focusing on overall health outcomes rather than weight change alone.
HRs (95% confidence intervals) for incident ORCs were 0.96 (0.94–0.98), 0.98 (0.96–0.99) and 0.98 (0.97–0.99) for the highest to lowest BMI reductions, respectively... Both BMI decrease and increase were associated with higher HRs for mental-health conditions, hospitalisation and mortality versus stable BMI.
Why this rating
Large cohort study (n=618,426) with robust statistical modeling (Cox regression, Ghosh-Lin), but observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Change in body mass index and disease burden among people with obesity and multiple long‐term conditions
K Khunti et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2026
DOI 10.1111/dom.70446
Related findings · Mixed
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