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Midlife weight loss linked to longer, healthier lives
- Date:
- May 29, 2025
- Source:
- University of Helsinki
- Summary:
- Losing weight via lifestyle adjustments can deliver significant long-term health benefits, without the need for surgery or anti-obesity drugs. Alongside preventing diabetes, it can help ward off chronic conditions including arterial and pulmonary diseases as well as cancers.
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FULL STORY
A University of Helsinki study tracked 23,000 individuals from Finland and the UK, aged 30 to 50 at the outset, over a period of 12 to 35 years. Health benefits were found in overweight men and women who lost an average of 6.5% of their body weight in early middle age and maintained it throughout the 12-35-year follow-up period. Weight maintenance is crucial.
"The benefits of lifestyle-based weight management are widely discussed even though studies have found it surprisingly difficult to demonstrate health benefits beyond the prevention of diabetes," notes Professor Timo Strandberg.
The study he led is now filling this gap.
"I hope the findings will inspire people to see that lifestyle changes can lead to major health improvements and a longer life. This is particularly important today as more people are overweight than when the collection of our research data began 35 years ago."
The study also supports the view that, for optimal health, a lifelong body mass index (BMI) under 25 is ideal.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open, the open-access journal of the American Medical Association.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Helsinki. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Timo E. Strandberg, Arto Y. Strandberg, Satu Jyväkorpi, Annele Urtamo, Solja T. Nyberg, Philipp Frank, Jaana Pentti, Kaisu H. Pitkälä, Mika Kivimäki. Weight Loss in Midlife, Chronic Disease Incidence, and All-Cause Mortality During Extended Follow-Up. JAMA Network Open, 2025; 8 (5): e2511825 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11825
Cite This Page:
University of Helsinki. "Midlife weight loss linked to longer, healthier lives." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 May 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250528132109.htm>.
University of Helsinki. (2025, May 29). Midlife weight loss linked to longer, healthier lives. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 7, 2026 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250528132109.htm
University of Helsinki. "Midlife weight loss linked to longer, healthier lives." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250528132109.htm (accessed November 7, 2026).
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