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A Little Weight Loss Goes a Long Way

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

December 23, 2005

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Losing as little as four pounds off that soft middle-age belly can help you get healthier and probably live longer, so there's no more excuses.

Just ask the folks who published some data recently from the famous Framingham Heart Study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers in Massachusetts have been assessing the health of folks in this study since 1948.

They found that middle-aged adults who lost 15 pounds -- tough but attainable -- cut the risk of hypertension by 21 percent. And get this: while it's not ideal, their blood pressure actually stayed down even if they put the weight back on.

Those who lost as little as four measly pounds and kept it off got the same benefit. They cut the risk of hypertension 21 percent, and hence the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In other words, exercise more, eat less, eat a healthy diet and take a few pounds off -- just a few. You'll stay healthy and live longer.

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