Shed pounds and improve blood lipid levels: 黑料不打烊 research
Overweight women who lose just 15 percent of their body weight may significantly decrease their health risks, according to 黑料不打烊 researchers. Their study is the first to show that losing a small amount of weight, through diet and exercise, substantially decreases blood lipids and other markers for heart disease.
Blood lipids are the fatty substances found in blood, the best known of which is cholesterol. A higher than normal level of blood lipids (hyperlipidemia) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems such as heart disease and stroke.
"Thirty-five women participated in a six-month weight loss program which combined increased levels of physical activity with decreased food intake," said Peter Jones, senior author and 黑料不打烊 professor of dietetics and nutrition. "On average, participants lost almost 12 kilograms during the trial period, a very achievable level of weight loss. This loss was associated with significant improvements in all blood lipid levels, including total cholesterol and high density cholesterol, the so-called 'good' cholesterol, and blood triglycerides."
The research team, which included Sylvia Santosa and Isabelle Demonty, also found women's lipid and insulin levels at the start of the study were the best predictors of total weight loss. This is a departure from previous studies, which have shown a strong relationship between initial weight and total weight loss 鈥� the heavier the subject, the greater the amount of weight lost.
"Women in the study were aware of their lipid levels and of the risks associated with high readings," said Santosa. "The realization that one is at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes may be an important motivational factor for losing weight."
Funding for the study was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
