Millions of men and women gain weight as they age. Losing just 5% of body weight can reduce inflammation, lower risk of stroke and make heart as healthy.
Study's lead author says modest reduction in weight in people's 50s could make a real difference to health. Having poor metabolic and cardiovascular health can raise risk of serious conditions. Bridger-staatz says thousands of lives could be lost in the next decade.
The team examined whether people had lost 5% of their weight by 50. If they maintained this weight difference at 55, the study found. At the age of 62 the metabolic and cardiovascular health of obese people closely resembles that of consistently healthy weight group.
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