A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ben Gurion University in Israel reveals that nearly one-third of people who followed a healthy diet did not lose weight but still experienced significant health benefits. The research shows that these individuals improved important cardiometabolic markers regardless of weight loss.
The study found that participants had higher levels of HDL cholesterol, often called the “good” cholesterol, lower levels of leptin, a hormone that signals hunger, and reduced visceral fat, which is the deep belly fat that surrounds organs.
Lead author Anat Yaskolka Meir, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard, said the findings challenge the common belief that weight loss is the only measure of health. She explained that people who do not lose weight can still improve their metabolism and reduce their risk of long-term diseases. “That’s a message of hope, not failure,” Meir said.
Published on June 5 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the study analyzed 761 adults with abdominal obesity in Israel. These individuals took part in three workplace nutrition clinical trials—DIRECT, CENTRAL, and DIRECT-PLUS—where they followed healthy diets such as low-fat, low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, and green-Mediterranean for 18 to 24 months.
The results showed that 36% of participants lost more than 5% of their initial body weight, 36% lost up to 5%, and 28% did not lose weight or even gained some. Weight loss was linked to multiple health improvements. For example, each kilogram lost was tied to a 1.44% increase in HDL cholesterol, a 1.37% decrease in triglycerides, a 2.46% drop in insulin, a 2.79% reduction in leptin, and lower liver fat, along with improvements in blood pressure and liver enzymes.
This study highlights that health improvements can occur independently of weight loss, offering new hope for those who struggle to lose weight but still want to improve their overall well-being.
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