It's no secret that weight loss can have a positive effect on your health, but did you know that losing just 10 pounds can have a significant impact on your cholesterol levels? Studies have shown that shedding 5-10% of your body weight can significantly reduce LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, it can reduce the risk of heart attacks by more than 50%.If you're overweight or obese, it's time to get rid of those extra pounds. Even a small to moderate weight loss of 10-20 pounds can make a difference. Start by reducing portion size and filling half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with whole grain starch and the other quarter with lean protein.
Choose calorie-free drinks as your primary source of fluids and keep hunger levels in mind to avoid unnecessary snacking. Losing 10 pounds can also help maintain regular blood pressure and healthy cholesterol levels. This means that after losing the first 10 pounds, your blood pressure could drop 10 points, which is a significant decrease. For overweight or obese patients whose weight implies a high risk of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions, the Mayo Clinic suggests that you may be able to significantly lower cholesterol levels if you lose 5-10% of your body weight.
On average, people lost six pounds in one study, but that was enough to decrease inflammation and improve immune function. This is likely due to the reduction in pro-inflammatory proteins stored in fat. As you lose weight and reduce pressure on your joints, cushioning between your bones will build up again. The risk of many cancers decreases when you lose weight, but this is particularly true for breast and uterine cancer, where losing just 8 pounds can significantly reduce levels of specific cancer hormones. In addition to reducing inflammation and improving immune function, losing 10 pounds can also help improve artery health and lower cholesterol by more than 10%.
This could be because losing 10 pounds dramatically reduces the accumulation of fat in and around the liver. A weight loss of 10 pounds over 10 years can lead to a decrease of up to 50% in the chances of developing osteoarthritis. Losing just 10 pounds can also widen the trachea, helping you sleep through the night and reducing the risk of developing sleep apnea. If you're very overweight, 10 pounds may not seem like enough to make a difference in your health, but for every extra pound you carry, it translates into four extra pounds of pressure on your knees.
