Important Points:
- Weight Loss
- Benefits
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Pain
- Cognitive function
What are the health benefits of losing weight?
1. It will improve your cognitive function
Losing weight is not just a physical change; it can also affect the way a person thinks. According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, intentional weight loss improves verbal memory, verbal fluency, executive function, and global cognition. If you feel that you need improvements in this department, losing weight would give you a boost.
2. It helps with your mood
Losing weight through exercise not only makes you healthier it can also make you happier. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, exercise can help with mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem.
3. It can improve your sex life.
In a study published in the journal Obesity, it was shown that those who suffer from obesity are more prone to erectile dysfunction. It has also been reported that the quality of sex in the obese is lower compared to people without a weight problem, so with regular exercise and weight loss, penile function will improve, and you can restore a satisfying sex life.
4. It can increase reproductive functioning.
Losing weight can help improve fertility in women especially those suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS, while in men, weight loss helps improve semen health increasing the chances of reproduction.
5. You sweat less
Losing weight through losing body fat, which acts as a natural insulator, will keep you feeling cooler and decrease the tendency to sweat.
6. Your blood pressure will become lower
As little as a loss of ten pounds can lower a person’s blood pressure back to normal. The effect is so great that weight loss is recommended along with medication in treating hypertension.
7. It strengthens the heart
Losing weight makes it easier for your heart to pump blood throughout the body while exercising strengthens your heart muscles. Losing weight is generally healthier for your cardiovascular health.
8. It prevents Type 2 Diabetes
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, losing just 5 to 7 percent of your body weight delays the onset of type 2 diabetes.
9. It helps prevents cancer
Obesity is a risk factor to the many forms of cancer from breast to colorectal cancer. Losing weight eliminates this risk factor thereby reducing the risk of you developing cancer.
10. It is good for the kidneys.
Because losing weight can reduce high blood pressure, it prevents renal damage and kidney diseases. Add to that the fact that losing weight prevents diabetes, a common culprit for kidney failure, and then you have two great perks of losing weight.
11. It prevents pancreatitis and pancreatic stones.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk for pancreatitis and gallstones both of which are surgical risks and can cause a person a lot of pain. By losing weight you decrease the likelihood of stone formation and ensure your pancreas is in tip-top shape.
12. Your skin will be clearer
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease closely associated with obesity. Maintaining a normal weight has been shown to lessen psoriasis severity and the incidence of flare-ups. Aside from psoriasis, people who are obese are generally more prone to skin problems compared to those with normal weight.
13. It improves oral health
Losing weight has been correlated to reducing inflammatory gum conditions thereby improving oral health.
14. It helps with body pain
By being overweight you add extra work on your joints which leads to joint pain and inflammation. By reducing your weight you lessen the burden on your knees and back which helps alleviate joint pain.
15. It improves your nail health
According to a study published in the journal Nutrients, obesity has been strongly linked to Iron deficiency anemia. This type of anemia can wreak havoc on your nail health causing them to be brittle and fragile.
Cognitive Effects of Intentional Weight Loss in Elderly Obese Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/101/3/1104/2804876
Exercise for Mental Health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/
Sexual Functioning and Obesity: A Review
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2012.104
Sexual Quality of Life Lower for the Obese
https://corporate.dukehealth.org/NEWS-LISTING/SEXUAL-QUALITY-LIFE-LOWER-OBESE
Weight loss before fertility treatment may improve pregnancy odds for women with PCOS
Your Guide To Lowering Blood Pressure
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/hbp_low.pdf
Health Risks of Being Overweight
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight
Obesity and Cancer
https://www.cancer.gov/ABOUT-CANCER/CAUSES-PREVENTION/RISK/OBESITY/OBESITY-FACT-SHEET
Obesity and pancreatitis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28719397
Psoriasis and Obesity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28226326
Skin problems in people with obesity
https://journals.rcni.com/DOI/ABS/10.7748/NS2004.05.18.35.38.C3609
Obesity and oral health–is there an association?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23213928
Obesity as an Emerging Risk Factor for Iron Deficiency
Important Points:
- Intermittent Fasting
- Benefits
- Diabetes
How can intermittent fasting help with your health?
Intermittent fasting may be a new concept for some, but it’s gaining a lot of popularity especially because of its touted health benefits. Intermittent fasting is not a diet in a classical sense since it does not limit the amount of food or restrict the type of foods eaten. Instead, it changes the time in which a person eats, most often practiced by fasting the whole day and only eating at a specified time once a day.
A research article published on Annual Review of Nutrition states that the benefits of intermittent fasting include prevention of obesity and its related conditions including diabetes and cancer. Another study in mice found that mice who fasted lived healthier and longer compared to mice that had free access to food. One study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that people who fasted showed marked improvements on disease indicators. Their fasting blood sugar, which is an indicator of diabetes risk, and their cholesterol and triglyceride levels all improved. It’s notable that participant’s lost abdominal fat without losing muscle mass.
How exactly does fasting help our body stay healthy such that we can reap these benefits? The current theory is when a person fasts, the body uses stored fat as a primary source of energy instead of using glucose. This is why those who fast showed a marked reduction in body fat compared to those who didn’t.
It is important to understand that despite having these benefits, not everyone should practice intermittent fasting. Those already in top health would not see as much benefit from fasting, and those who already have diabetes will struggle to achieve these benefits.
If you want to try out intermittent fasting, be safe and get help with your diet.
Metabolic Effects of Intermittent Fasting
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634
Daily Fasting Improves Health and Survival in Male Mice Independent of Diet Composition and Calories
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413118305126?dgcid=rss_sd_all
Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease