Losing weight in middle age can restore heart health to the same level as those who stayed fit throughout life, study finds
A generic image of obesity, as a study finds people who lose weight in their 50s can restore cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation levels comparable to those who stayed slim throughout life.
University College London researchers tracked more than 6,000 people born in a single week in 1958 through the National Child Development Study. By age 62, those who shed weight in their 50s had cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation levels comparable to people who never piled on the pounds. Those who stayed obese, became obese or yo-yoed had the worst heart health. Further weight gain in middle age brought the fastest decline.
Lead author Dr Charis Bridger Staatz: 'It's never too late to start making changes.'
She urged prevention efforts to extend beyond children to people in their 50s.
Researchers stressed the study is observational and cannot prove cause and effect.
