the times Saturday April 30 20224 Body + Soul
slowed by 1.4 seconds per mile for
every additional pound they carried.
A more recent study by exercise
scientists at the National and
Kapodistrian University of Athens
showed that losing half a stone resulted
in a 3.1 per cent improvement over a
3,000m running trial.
“Excess body weight in the form of too
much fat is extra baggage and runners
pay the penalty for lugging around an
extra half stone or more,” says Professor
Brewer. “It not only slows them down
but affects how efficiently their bodies
are able to use oxygen, which makes the
activity seem harder.”You will stabilise your
body’s blood sugar levels
In most people of a healthy weight, the
hormone insulin slows the release of
fatty acids into the bloodstream,
suppresses glucose production in the
liver and helps muscles to use glucose,
all of which keep blood sugar under
control. However, excess weight
interferes with this process, raising the
risk of type 2 diabetes.
Losing a few pounds can help to get
things back on track, as a study of more
than 1,000 people showed. In the trial
conducted by the Norfolk and Norwich
University Hospital (NNUH) and the
University of East Anglia, those who
shed half a stone and increased their
exercise over two years reduced the risk
of type 2 diabetes by up to 47 per cent
for those considered at risk of getting
the condition.
“We can be very optimistic that even
a modest weight loss and an increase
in physical activity in real-world
programmes like this have a big effect
on the risk of getting type 2 diabetes,”
says Professor Mike Sampson, a
consultant in diabetes at NNUH.
If you already have type 2 diabetes,
losing half a stone is not enough toIt will protect your joints
Being very overweight is the “largest
modifiable risk factor” for joint problems
such as osteoarthritis and knee, hip and
ankle pain, according to the charity
Versus Arthritis.
Carrying 7lb of extra weight can mean
an added 30lb of pressure on your knees
and other lower body joints, says Bill
Ribbans, professor of sports medicine at
the University of Northampton. “You
subject your joints to much more load
in everyday life if you are even a few
pounds overweight, as activities such as
climbing stairs puts pressure equivalent
to multiple amounts of your body weight
through your joints,” he says. “Losing
half a stone can mean considerably less
force going through your joints every
day, which is highly protective.”
A study by Australian researchers
published in the Journal of Orthopaedic
& Sports Physical Therapy showed that
losing half a stone led to moderate
improvements in joint pain and
functionality in people with knee
and hip osteoarthritis.Your lung function
will be better
Lose a modest amount of
extra weight and you will
breathe more easily. A 2020
study in Thorax medical journal
tracked 3,673 adults for 20 years,
measuring body weight and lung
function at the beginning, middle
and end of the trial. Nearly two thirds
of the participants gained weight, which
led to a deterioration in lung function —
no matter how much they weighed at
the start. But among those who were
overweight as young adults, their lung
health had improved significantly if they
lost more than half a pound a year (or
just over half a stone). “Weight gain
causes increased inflammation in the
body, which can adversely influence lung
function,” says Professor John Brewer,
author of Running Science. “Most studies
show that controlling or losing weight
to a healthy level is important for good
lung function.”Your sex life will improve
Being overweight dampens your libido
and energy levels. But lose that weight
and your sex life could be transformed.
A study of overweight women showedI
f we were being honest many of
us would say we’d like to be half
a stone lighter. It’s a weight-loss
goal that seems achievable — even
dieticians say we can shed that
amount in a matter of weeks —
and will almost certainly lead to
a looser waistband and boosted
confidence. But, much more importantly,
losing just 7lb could have a significant
impact on your health.
Duane Mellor, a researcher and
teaching fellow in nutrition at Aston
University Medical School, says that
losing a surplus half stone brings many
immediate benefits to most people.
“There can be big improvements to
metabolic health and joint health and
reduced risk of disease with relatively
small amounts of weight lost,” Mellor
says. “If you can lose half a stone instead
of gaining it in your forties to sixties,
then your longevity prospects soar.”
Roy Taylor, a professor of medicine
and metabolism at Newcastle
University, says that reduced blood
fats and cholesterol levels, better
sleep patterns and less back
pain are some of the benefits
that come with initial modest
weight loss. Overweight
participants in his studies
reported huge life
improvements after shedding
their first 7lb. “There were
mood improvements and they
reported being more mobile and
energetic, better able to bound
upstairs and generally more positive
about life,” he says. Here’s what losing
half a stone can do for your health:You will sleep better
According to the NHS, excess weight is
a risk factor for obstructive sleep apnoea,
which causes breathing to stop and start
as you sleep, most often when people
sleep on their backs. It’s more common
in overweight people, when it can be
the result of gaining excess fatty tissue
in the tongue and throat area, which
blocks airways when throat muscles
relax. Typical symptoms are night-time
snoring and daytime sleepiness. “Losing
half a stone will help to reduce neck size
through lowering fatty tissue volume,
which will mean less snoring,” Mellor
says. “Joint alignment will improve,
which means that sleeping positions will
be more comfortable and you are less
likely to wake up.”published in
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dicineodtive
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th:that losing even modest amounts of
weight led to boosted sex drive,
improved sexual function and better
arousal levels. Studies on men have
shown links between being overweight
and erectile dysfunction, and that
weight loss can help to reverse it. “Being
overweight can affect levels of the male
sex hormone testosterone and losing
weight can restore the hormone to
healthy levels,” the nutrition therapist
Ian Marber says. “This is important for
libido and sexual function.”Back pain will be relieved
Extra weight means extra loading of
the spinal discs, which can lead to
degeneration and back pain. A study of
2,599 Chinese volunteers found that, in
people with back pain, disc degeneration
was associated with an elevated BMI
and the researchers suggested that in
addition to the burden of extra weight,
the extra fat cells might play a role by
causing chronic low-grade inflammation
of the spine.
“Being even a bit overweight can
negatively impact metabolic health,
which is also associated with higher
levels of musculoskeletal pain,” said
Christopher Martey, a physiotherapist
and spokesman for the Chartered
Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). “Losing
a few pounds if you need to is very
helpful for back and joints.”You will find running
easier (and move faster)
If you find running hard work, shedding
seven surplus pounds could make a
difference. Researchers first realised the
impact of carrying extra weight when
exercising more than 40 years ago, when
a study at the University of Georgia
showed that runners asked to carry an
additional half stone in a harness
attached to their back ran 89m less in a
12-minute running trial, meaning theyWhat losing half
a stone does for
your health
You won’t just lose the paunch, shedding a few pounds
can improve back pain and help insomnia. By Peta Bee
You will sleep
for longer