Losing weight at any age can have life-long benefits for your heart and blood vessels, according to a new study part funded by the British Heart Foundation.
Researchers studied the life-long patterns of weight change in 1,273 patients and how this impacted on risk factors for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, their risk of diabetes and the thickness of their artery walls.
The findings showed adults who dropped a BMI category from obese to overweight or from overweight to normal reduced their chance of developing cardiovascular problems even if they gained weight later in life.
Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, which part funded the research, said: “This study reinforces how maintaining a healthy weight throughout life helps us to reduce our chances of developing cardiovascular disease as we get older.
“Sadly, in the UK around 60% of adults are overweight or obese. But even those struggling to achieve or maintain a healthy weight can take heart from this study as dropping a BMI category still benefited people’s overall risk even if they gained weight again later on.
“Whatever your age, whatever your weight, eating healthily and being active are important weapons in the fight against cardiovascular disease.”
