Losing 5% of your weight in midlife: what a UK study found

A lot of people in their 40s and 50s tell me the same thing: they've put weight on over the years, and they assume that's just what happens with age. Some also think that unless they can lose a huge amount, there's no point starting.

A new study from University College London suggests both ideas are worth questioning. It found that a fairly modest drop in weight in your 50s, kept off, was linked with heart health later on that looked much like that of people who never gained weight in the first place.

What the study looked at

Researchers at the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies used data from more than 6,000 people born in Britain during one week in 1958, who have been followed all their lives as part of the National Child Development Study.

The team looked at each person's BMI from their 20s onwards and found the highest weight they reached by age 42. They then checked who had lost or gained at least 5% of their weight by 50, and whether that change had held at 55.

To see what that meant for health, they compared measures taken at 44 and again at 62: blood pressure, plus blood tests for cholesterol and inflammation.

What it found

• About a quarter of people (24%) stayed in the healthy BMI range for nearly all of adulthood.
• 6% lost at least 5% of their weight by 50 and kept it off at 55. Most of them had peaked in the overweight range, and a smaller group in the obesity range.
• In heavier adults who lost some weight, heart and metabolic health declined no faster than in the healthy weight group. By 62, the two groups had comparable cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation markers.
• More than a third gained weight by their mid-50s, and their heart health had worsened the fastest by 62. People whose weight went up and down within the obesity range also did worse.

Lead author Dr Charis Bridger Staatz said the work shows "it's never too late to start making changes to improve your health". Co-author Dr Laura Gimeno pointed out that avoiding further weight gain in midlife matters too, as gaining weight was consistently linked with the fastest decline.

The caveats

This is an observational study, as the Guardian's report notes, so it shows a link rather than proof that the weight loss caused the better results. People who lost weight and kept it off may have differed in other ways, such as how active they were, what they ate or whether they smoked.

It's also published as a UCL briefing paper rather than a full journal article, so treat it as an early look. The group who lost weight and kept it off was small (6% of the people studied), and everyone was born in one week in 1958, so the results may not apply in the same way to younger people or other groups.

Finally, it measured blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation, which are markers of heart health. It doesn't tell us about heart attacks or strokes directly.

What 5% actually looks like

The encouraging part is how small 5% is. If you weigh 14 stone (about 89 kg), 5% is roughly 10 lb, or about 4.5 kg. At 12 stone, it's around 8 lb. That's a realistic target, not a total transformation. Our post on how many calories to cut to lose a stone shows how the maths works at a safe pace.

The study is also a reminder that keeping weight off and not gaining more are just as important as the loss itself. So go for changes you can live with for years, not a crash diet you'll drop by Christmas.

If you'd like to keep an eye on your food and your weight trend in one place, FitFitCity has a food diary that counts calories and progress tracking. You can try it free for a week first.

How I'd approach it

1. Work out a rough starting point. The NHS says an average man needs about 2,500 kcal a day and an average woman about 2,000, but your own number depends on your age, size and activity. Our calorie deficit calculator gives you an estimate to start from.
2. Make small food changes first. The NHS Better Health advice starts with portion sizes, healthier drinks (including alcohol, which adds up quickly) and better sleep.
3. Keep protein up. Protein at each meal helps you feel full and supports your muscles while you eat a bit less. Our protein guide explains how much to aim for.
4. Add strength work. The NHS notes that moving more can help you keep weight off. Strength training twice a week also helps you hold on to muscle as you get older. Simple moves like a goblet squat, a glute bridge and an incline push-up are a good place to start; our post on strength training for women over 50 is a good place to start, whatever your gender.
5. Judge it over months. Weigh yourself at the same time once a week and look at the trend, not single days.

If you have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, or you take regular medication, speak to your GP before changing your diet much. They can also tell you what NHS weight management support is available locally.

If you'd like a plan and a food diary in one place, FitFitCity membership includes both. Either way, the message from this study is a hopeful one: you don't have to lose a lot, and your 50s are not too late.