Weight loss increases and fat loss decreases all-cause mortality rate
Yes, there is a research article on this subject: Weight loss increases and fat loss decreases all-cause mortality rate: results from two
independent cohort studies
DB Allison, R Zannolli, MS Faith, M Heo, A Pietrobelli, TB VanItallie, FX Pi-Sunyer and SB Heyms
What they conclude is pretty much what the title says, although with the exception for severely obese people (which is mentioned to be BMI > 34), for whom weight loss was also beneficial.
What it means is that it is better for health to think of fat loss rather than weight loss. Meaning try to make sure that the losses are in fat tissue, rather than lean (muscle) tissue. The weight scale does not tell the difference, but various body fat percentage measurements, or proxies like waist size, will help in this respect. While many body fat percentage measurements are not that accurate in an absolute sense, they may be helpful in tracking progress over time.
Maintenance of lean muscle tissue under calorie restriction does require exercise. Otherwise, unused muscle mass may be lost quite easily.
Last edited by tjlhb; 06-19-2009 at 08:04 AM.
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