What a 5% Weight Loss Can Do for Your Health Health & Diet Health & Diet Guide Health A-Z Health A-Z Health A-Z Common Conditions ADD/ADHD Allergies Arthritis Cancer Coronavirus (COVID-19) Depression Diabetes Eye Health Heart Disease Lung Disease Orthopedics Pain Management Sexual Conditions Skin Problems Sleep Disorders View All Resources Symptom Checker WebMD Blogs Podcasts Newsletters Best Hospitals Find a Doctor Children's Conditions A-Z Surgeries and Procedures A-Z Featured Topics Symptom Checker Slideshow Drugs & Supplements Drugs & Supplements Drugs & Supplements Find & Review Drugs Supplements Drug Basics & Safety Commonly Abused Drugs Taking Meds When Pregnant Tools Manage Your Medications Pill Identifier Check for Interactions Drug Comparison Tool Featured Topics Slideshow Coronavirus Living Healthy Living Healthy Living Healthy Diet, Food & Fitness Diet & Weight Management Weight Loss & Obesity Food & Recipes Fitness & Exercise Beauty & Balance Healthy Beauty Health & Balance Sex & Relationships Oral Care Living Well Women's Health Men's Health Aging Well Healthy Sleep Healthy Teens Featured Topics Article Quiz Family & Pregnancy Family & Pregnancy Family & Pregnancy All About Pregnancy Getting Pregnant First Trimester Second Trimester Third Trimester View All Parenting Guide Newborn & Baby Children's Health Children's Vaccines Raising Fit Kids View All Pet Care Essentials Healthy Cats Healthy Dogs View All Featured Topics Slideshow Slideshow News & Experts News & Experts News & Experts Health News Monkeypox Now a Public Health Emergency Omicron Boosters Coming Soon: What to Know Now Retraining Your Brain Could Help With Lower Back Pain Lyme Disease on the Rise in the U.S. Fake Clinics Running Online Abortion Pill Scams Experts & Community Support Groups WebMD Blogs News Center Dr. Whyte's Book: Take Control of Your Diabetes Risk Featured Topics Special Report Get Our Newsletters Mobile Apps Subscriptions What a 5% Weight Loss Can Do for Your Health Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian, MD on November 02, 2020 What Can 5% Do for You 1/15 You don’t have to slim down to your high school size to get real health benefits. Losing just a few pounds makes a big difference. Five percent of your body weight -- 10 pounds for a 200-pound person -- can improve all kinds of health problems, and make you feel better, too. Talk to your doctor about whether it might help you. Ease Up on Joints 2/15 Just 10 extra pounds add 40 pounds of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints. That can wear them out quicker. Extra fat can also cause inflammation -- when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints. Losing even a little weight can ease these effects. If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get Cut Your Chances of Cancer 3/15 One study showed that older women who lost at least 5% of their body weight lowered their chances of breast cancer by 12%. There’s no such clear proof that losing weight protects you from other types, but some changes that happen when you shed pounds hint that it might. For example, overweight people who slim down have lower levels of some hormones linked to cancer, like estrogens, insulin, and androgens. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes 4/15 If you’re more likely to get the condition, weight loss is one of two ways to prevent or delay it. The other is moderate exercise -- 30 minutes on 5 days a week. If you weigh 160 pounds, you could lose just 8-12 of them to get the benefit. If you already have A Good Cholesterol Bump 5/15 You can lower your Bring Down Triglycerides 6/15 They’re particles in your body that transport fat for storage and energy. High levels (more than 200 mg/dl) mean you’re more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. You can get closer to healthy levels (around 150 mg/dl) if you slim down a little. Ease High Blood Pressure 7/15 Extra body weight makes your blood push harder against your artery walls. That makes your heart work harder, too. You can lower the pressure by about 5 points if you trim 5% from that number on the scale. Cut your salt and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy, and you may lower it even more. Stop Sleep Apnea 8/15 People who are overweight gain extra tissue in the back of their throat. When your body relaxes when you sleep, that tissue can drop down and block your airway. It makes you stop breathing over and over all night, which causes all kinds of health problems, especially for your heart. Slimming down a little can oten help with Reverse Insulin Resistance 9/15 Body fat, especially in your belly area, gives off chemicals that make your body stop reacting to the effects of insulin, a hormone that keeps the level of sugar in your blood normal. Even though your pancreas works harder to make more insulin, your blood sugar can get too high. A little bit of weight loss can help reverse this effect. Sleep Longer and Better 10/15 Some studies have shown that not getting enough ZZZs can make you more likely to be obese. Others show that losing at least 5% of excess weight can lead to better sleep. But don’t overdo it. Sleeping too much isn’t good for your weight or your health. A Better Mood 11/15 Weight loss may help chase your blues away. Scientists are still trying to work out why, but better body image and improved sleep may be part of the reason. In one study, depressed people who were very overweight felt better after they lost an average of 8% of their body weight. Other research shows you’ll continue to feel better, even after 2 years -- as long as you keep the weight off. Bring Down Inflammation 12/15 Fat cells, especially those around the belly, can release chemicals that irritate and inflame tissues all over the body. This is linked to health problems like arthritis, Have More Sex 13/15 When you’re overweight, you typically have less sex. It might be because you just don’t feel good about your body. But it also may be that you have less desire and that even when you’re in the mood, your body doesn’t respond as well. Shed a few pounds and you’ll not only feel better about yourself, you may be in the mood more often, too. Lose the Weight Diet 14/15 There’s no one perfect diet to help you slim down, but there are some basic rules. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Keep your protein lean and unprocessed: Choose meats trimmed of fat, and eat seafood, beans, nuts, and seeds. Replace refined grains like white bread and white rice with whole grains like multigrain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Special weight loss surgery may be an option if you are seriously overweight. Lose the Weight Exercise 15/15 You should be getting 30 minutes of moderate activity -- a bike ride or brisk walk -- on at least 5 days a week simply to stay in good health. To lose weight and keep it off, you may need more than that. Also include moves to strengthen your muscles, like pushups or light weight training. Check with your doctor about the healthiest ways for you to work out, especially if you haven’t done it in a while. Show Sources IMAGES PROVIDED BY: 1) Thinkstock Photos 2) Thinkstock Photos 3) Thinkstock Photos 4) Thinkstock Photos 5) Thinkstock Photos 6) Thinkstock Photos 7) Thinkstock Photos 8) Thinkstock Photos 9) Thinkstock Photos 10) Thinkstock Photos 11) Thinkstock Photos 12) Thinkstock Photos 13) Thinkstock Photos 14) Getty Images 15) Getty Images SOURCES: American Journal of Public Health: “I Think Therefore I Am: Perceived Ideal Weight as a Determinant of Health.” Arthritis Foundation: “Benefits of Weight Loss.” Diabetes.co.uk: “Insulin Resistance.” Endocrine Society: “Sleep and Mood Improves after Substantial Weight Loss.” Harvard Health Publications: “Why weight matters when it comes to joint pain.” Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine: “Sleep and Mood.” International Journal of Impotence Research: “Improvements in sexual quality of life after moderate weight loss.” International Journal of Obesity: “Sexual function and obesity.” Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal: “Association of Body Weight and Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Case Control Study.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: “Small Steps, Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Campaign Overview,” “Health Risks of Being Overweight.” Obesity Action Coalition: “Benefits of 5-10 Percent Weight-loss.” Obesity Research Journal: “Changes in Symptoms of Depression with Weight Loss.” Sex and Marital Therapy: “Changes in Symptoms of Depression with Weight Loss.” National Cancer Institute: “Obesity and Cancer.” American Cancer Society: “Does body weight affect cancer risk?” UpToDate: “Obesity in adults: Health consequences.” © 2020 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. View privacy policy and trust info Top Picks Health Solutions More from WebMD Related Links Find us on: Facebook Twitter Pinterest © 2005 - 2022 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.