Losing weight is difficult for all of us, yet it’s harder for some than for others. A recent study shows that when it comes to obese people, this task is close to being impossible to achieve.
According to a new study, most people who are obese have extremely low chances to return to a normal weight. The scientist at King’s College, in London, affirmed that the results to their study showed there are very low chances for obese people to have a normal weight.
Obese People Have a 1 in 124 chance to Have a Normal Weight Again
The recent study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). There were 278,982 participants (129,194 men and 149,788 women). Their weight was tracked using electronic health records from 2004 to 2014.
The aim of the study was to find the probability of obese people to attain normal weight, or a 5% reduction in body weight. In order to estimate the weight change, the scientists used a minimum of three body mass index per patient.
Obese People Tend to Regain the lost Weight
All doctors recommend losing at least 5% to 10% body weight since it has been shown to have meaningful health benefits. However, according to the researchers’ results, most people don’t manage to lose weight at all.
It appears that the chance of losing between 5% and 10% weight is just one in 12 for men and one in 10 for women.
In addition, the scientists found out that, more than half of those who did manage 5% weight loss, regained it within the next 5 years.
These results show how difficult it is for people who have obesity to achieve and maintain even small amounts of weight loss.
Obesity Is a Serious Problem
Even if there is a high number of people who don’t seem to be taking this issue serious, obesity is an alarming problem.
All health officials warn people all over the world that obesity should be treated as a serious global public health epidemic.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease has more than doubled since 1980. In addition, it seems that almost 40 percent of adults measured were obese in 2014.
These are the reason why, in order to deal with this issue and to find treatment for obesity, new approaches are needed.
