Reducing Body Fat Reduces Disease Risk

The good news is that reducing body fat reduces the risk of disease. At the University of Pittsburgh, researchers studied 159 people when they followed a weight management program. research target is those aged under 45 and 30-70 pounds overweight. Those who are able to shed just 10-15 percent of their weight and maintain it during the 18-month study showed a significant increase in HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, waist-hip ratio, and blood pressure. In fact, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, decrease body fat is more powerful modulator of cardiac structure of drug therapy

For people with a family history of heart disease, active lifestyle can slow or stop the process of heart disease except for those with a serious genetic disorder. The study, conducted by Dean Ornish, MD, has demonstrated that a comprehensive intervention program that includes regular physical activity, low-fat diet and stress reduction program can even reverse heart disease processes.

Evidence also suggests that an active lifestyle that helps in reducing body fat was associated with a reduced risk of some types of cancers: prostate for men, breast and uterine cancer for women. (Frisch, et al 1985)

In addition, regular physical activity and low-fat diets are successful in treating non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM), and for some patients, it has reduced or eliminated the need for insulin replacement. In general, regularly active adults have 42 percent lower risk for developing NIDDM.