Going on a diet is one of the most universal activities people undergo at present. In a recent study, it is determined that about 50% of women are on a diet at any given time. Moreover, 90% of teenager shave restricted their eating habits and the average dieting age for girls have dropped from a reasonable 14 years old in the 1970s to a very young 8 years old in the last twenty years. In the United States alone, over $40 billion are spent on diet products every year.
Dieting in itself is not a cause for concern. In fact with over 62% of Americans considered overweight or obese, it is necessary to limit calorie consumption.
Recently, a team researchers from Washington University published an academic paper on the Cell Press claiming that losing just five percent of a person's total body weight would lead to significant changes in his or her overall health.
According to Dr. Samuel Klein, lead research for the study, a tiny change in weight can benefit most if not all of a person's major organs.
"Our findings show that even a small amount of weight loss has important health benefits for multiple organ systems," quipped Dr. Klein.
The team conducted the research on 40 obese people who were then assigned to a variety of weight maintenance programs. 20 people were required to lose 5% of their body weight while 10 were asked to lose at least 15%. The results showed that those who lost 5% of their body weight had improved their body's reaction to insulin, had lower blood pressure and had lower levels of triglycerides.
The team has since expressed their hope on influencing the current obesity guidelines with the results of their study. According to the scientists, setting the target goal of 5% as opposed to %-10% would decrease the rate of failure.
