Dec. 28, 2021 — Numbers are easier. That may be why a person’s weight — and the desire of millions of people to lose weight — is the first topic under discussion when it comes to health and longevity. Not long after you walk into your doctor’s exam room, for example, you’ll step on a scale. It’s usually the first measurement they take, ahead of vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate.
This makes sense. It’s a number, which means it’s easy to see if your weight has changed in either direction since the last time they weighed you.
But there’s an unintended result: You come away thinking that your weight is every bit as important as how well your heart and blood vessels are working, and that losing a few pounds will improve your health in tangible, long-lasting ways.
Yes, weight loss has proven health benefits. But should weight loss be the top priority for everyone classified as “overweight” or “obese” — a demographic that now includes three-quarters of all American adults?
“The weight loss message is not, and has not been, working,” says Glenn Gaesser, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Arizona State University.
He’s among a growing number of health experts who believe that weight loss may not be the most important benefit when it comes to adopting a healthier lifestyle. That’s especially true if you compare it to the benefits of increasing your fitness level, as Gaesser and a co-author did in a recent study.
Intentional weight loss — that is, losing weight on purpose, rather than because of an injury or illness — is usually associated in studies with a lower risk of death from any cause. The effect is most powerful among those with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes.
But here’s an interesting wrinkle: The amount of weight lost doesn’t seem to change the risk of dying. If the weight itself is the problem, why wouldn’t those who lost the most get the biggest risk reduction?
Gaesser is skeptical that the health benefits of weight loss are entirely or even mainly caused by a lower number on the scale. Many clinical weight loss trials — studies in which people take part in a structured program — also include exercise and diet components.
Moving more and eating better
