Recent research encouraging for those setting weight loss goals this year

New research says: Your age doesn’t matter

A new study from the University of Warwick in the UK found that people over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people when using lifestyle changes.

The findings were based on analysis of patient records from a hospital-based obesity service and were reported in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.

The researchers randomly selected 242 patients who attended the WISDEM-based obesity service between 2005 and 2016, and compared two groups (those aged under 60 years and those aged between 60 and 78 years) for the weight loss that they achieved during their time within the service.

All patients had their body weight measured both before and after lifestyle interventions administered and coordinated within the WISDEM-based obesity service, and the percentage reduction in body weight calculated across both groups.

When compared, the two groups were equivalent statistically, with those aged 60 years and over on average reducing their body weight by 7.3% compared with a body weight reduction of 6.9% in those aged under 60 years.

New research says: Even modest weight loss results in major health gains

A new study published in November in the international journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who lost just five to eight pounds over a two year period reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 40 to 47 percent.

The findings were culled from the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study—touted as the largest diabetes prevention research study in the world in the last 30 years.

“These findings are important as they show that a ‘real-world’ lifestyle program really can make a difference in helping people reduce their risk of Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes,” the researchers stated.

Even if you haven’t yet slimmed down your waist as much as you’d like, you can feel some sense of accomplishment just knowing that your health improves with the shedding of each and every pound.

New research says: Perfect adherence to a program not necessary for weight loss

One of the most common reasons given for failing to lose weight is that it’s too difficult to follow a given program. However, if you’re following a diet plan that involves lifestyle changes, you’re probably making progress even if you’re not following the program perfectly.

A 2020 clinical trial conducted by the University of Illinois Chicago found that participants in a “intermittent fasting” weight loss program had similar results even when participants could not fast for a longer time period.

The study, published July 2020 in the journal Cell Metabolism, compared study participants who restricted food intake to a four hour window or a six hour window. Both groups were able to restrict calorie intake and lost about 3% of body weight over time.

The results of the trial should not be taken as a reason to simply ignore guidelines of a proven diet plan—results will no doubt be better when sticking to the guidelines.