Odds of losing 5% or more body weight low in adults with overweight or obesity
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Key takeaways:
- Adults with overweight or obesity had a 10% annual probability of achieving a 5% or greater weight loss.
- About 23% of adults with overweight and 2% with obesity had a BMI reduction to healthy weight.
Adults with overweight or obesity in the U.S. have a one in 10 annual probability of achieving a 5% or greater weight loss, and the likelihood for weight loss increases with a higher initial BMI, according to study data.
“Overweight and obesity affect more than 70% of U.S. adults and are risk factors for other chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many cancers,” Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD, health economist in the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC, told Healio. “This is one of the only papers to assess the probability of a 5% weight loss or reducing BMI to healthy weight among U.S. adults with overweight and obesity. Results suggest that 5% weight loss is more attainable at higher BMIs. Given the health benefits of clinically meaningful weight reduction at any level of excess weight, 5% or greater weight loss can be a reasonable target for obesity management efforts.”
Kompaniyets and colleagues obtained data from the IQVIA ambulatory electronic medical record database of U.S. adults aged 17 to 70 years with at least 3 years of BMI measurements available from Jan. 1, 2009, to Feb. 28, 2022. Initial BMI was the first BMI recorded for each participant in the database. Underweight was classified as a BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m2, healthy weight was a BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2, overweight was defined as a BMI of 25 kg/m2 to 29.9 kg/m2, class I obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 kg/m2 to 34.9 kg/m2, class II obesity was classified as a BMI of 35 kg/m2 to 39.9 kg/m2 and class III obesity was divided into two categories: the first was a BMI of 40 kg/m2 to 44.9 kg/m2 and the second a BMI of 45 kg/m2 and higher. Researchers analyzed the percentage of adults who achieved a 5% or greater weight loss as well as the proportion of adults who had a BMI reduction to healthy weight.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
The study included 18,461,623 adults (median age, 54 years; 56.7% women) of whom 72.5% had overweight or obesity. Of the study group, 12.9% had only decreases in BMI over time, 15.2% had only increases in BMI, 21.2% had weight cycling with increases and decreases, and the remainder had no BMI category changes.
During follow-up, 33.4% of people with overweight at baseline and 41.8% with obesity achieved a 5% or greater weight loss. The percentage of adults who had a BMI reduction to healthy weight was 23.2% of those with overweight at baseline and 2% of those with obesity at baseline. The median time from baseline to a 5% or greater weight loss was 2.4 years and the median time from baseline to a healthy weight BMI was 2.6 years.
Adults with overweight or obesity had a one in 10 annual probability of a 5% or greater weight loss. The probability increased as initial BMI increased. Adults with overweight at baseline had a one in 12 probability for a 5% or greater weight loss, while those in the highest class III obesity category had a one in six probability for losing 5% or more body weight. The likelihood of reducing BMI to the healthy weight category ranged from one in 19 for adults with overweight to one in 1,667 for adults with class III obesity.
“For people with overweight and obesity, even small reductions in weight can reduce the risk of weight-related chronic diseases,” Kompaniyets said. “Clinicians and public health efforts can focus on messaging and referrals to interventions that support adults with excess weight in achieving and sustaining clinically meaningful weight loss. When talking to patients about weight and weight-related behaviors such as diet, physical activity and sleep, clinicians should understand that patients may need additional support to achieve weight goals. This support might include having access to healthy foods, safe places to be physically active and affordable weight management programs.”
Kompaniyets said the study did not differentiate between intentional and unintentional weight loss, which may affect the probabilities in the study. She said future studies should assess intentional and unintentional weight-loss patterns separately as well as the probability of retaining weight loss.
For more information:
Lyudmyla Kompaniyets, PhD, can be reached at opt4@cdc.gov.
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