Shedding just 5 per cent of your weight in your fifties can undo years of heart damage, 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.
By 62, overweight people who slimmed down had cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation levels matching those who never gained weight. University College London researchers tracked more than 6,000 Britons born in a single week in 1958. Those who stayed obese, or whose weight yo-yoed, fared worst of all. Lead author Dr Charis Bridger Staatz said prevention efforts must not stop at children.
Dr Bridger Staatz: 'It's never too late to start making changes to improve your health.'
Co-author Laura Gimeno said piling on weight in middle age brought the fastest decline.
The researchers admit the observational study cannot prove that weight loss caused the gains.
