Only One in Six Have Success

Long-Term Weight Loss Difficult to Maintain

Long-term weight loss is difficult to maintain, finds a new study from Penn State College of Medicine researchers, who find that only one in six American dieters have success in keeping off lost weight. Currently, two-thirds of the adult US population is overweight and, as obesity rates rise, health professionals recommend that overweight or obese people aim for a loss of five to 10 percent of their weight to stave off metabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Finding the key to successful long-term weight loss is important to public health. "Identifying a significant percentage of the population that is succeeding in some weight loss may be an important target population for weight maintenance programs," says researcher Jennifer Kraschnewski, M.D., M.P.H.