5 Lesser-Known Benefits of Long-Term Weight Control

You probably know that staying at a healthy weight prevents high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoarthritis. But the health benefits don’t stop there.

As weight loss specialists, our Premiere Medical Center team often works with patients surprised to learn about lesser-known but equally crucial benefits of long-term weight control.

Here are the top five reasons to maintain a healthy weight throughout your lifetime.

1. Lower your risk of cancer

Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing 13 types of cancer. In other words, controlling your weight helps prevent cancer.

Carrying excess weight may independently raise your risk. However, researchers believe that other health issues commonly found in overweight people may also contribute to cancer. Either way, your risk is higher.

People with overweight or obesity are:

• 1.3 times more likely to have breast, colon, or thyroid cancer
• 1.5 times more likely to have pancreatic cancer
• 1.5 to 2.7 times more likely to have esophageal cancer
• 2 times more likely to have stomach, liver, or kidney cancer
• 2-4 times more likely to have endometrial cancer

Carrying extra fat causes changes that contribute to cancer risk. For example, fat cells release substances that cause inflammation and hormones that stimulate cellular overgrowth — activities that promote cancer.

2. Optimize brain health and memory

Maintaining a healthy weight may improve your memory and prevent dementia. Studies show that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) perform more poorly on memory tests than participants with a healthy weight.

A high BMI affects short-term memory and interferes with the brain’s ability to store memories. Extra weight may also diminish executive functions, which support skills like planning and solving problems.

3. Promote regular exercise

Only 1 in 4 adults gets the CDC’s recommended amount of physical activity (at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly).

There’s bad news for those who aren’t already in the habit of exercising: Activity levels decline with age. You’re even less likely to stay active if you gain weight.

These changes cause a cycle in which lack of activity leads to weight gain, and the extra weight further limits activity. Being sedentary and overweight significantly contributes to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Maintaining a healthy weight over the years gives you a better chance of staying active and supporting your long-term health.

4. Avoid age-related weight loss challenges

Everyone’s body changes as they age. Metabolism slows, muscle mass decreases, and hormone imbalances develop to make the body store fat.

In other words, aging makes it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight. You can avoid this challenge if your lifestyle habits support long-term weight control.

For example, most adults need to reduce their daily calories as they age to offset metabolism and muscle changes. However, cutting calories while getting essential nutrients is challenging.

We can help you with those challenges with recommendations for a sustainable diet, sustainable exercise plan, and medically supervised weight loss.

5. Preserve high-quality sleep

Aging changes the amount and quality of sleep. As people age, they sleep less and are more likely to develop sleep disorders. Gaining weight amplifies the problem.

Being overweight makes it harder to breathe while sleeping. Carrying excess weight also increases the risk of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea interferes with sleep because you stop breathing many times during the night.

Lack of sleep and disrupted sleep often cause people to gain weight. Sleep apnea increases the chance of high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat. You can lower your risk of sleep problems by maintaining a healthy weight throughout adulthood.

Need help with weight loss?

We offer comprehensive health care at Premiere Medical Center, including internal medicine, cancer screening, and medically supervised weight loss. 

For those who qualify, we specialize in weight loss injections of semaglutide. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in today’s advanced GLP-1 medications: Wegovy®, Ozempic®, and Rybelsus®.

Don’t wait to start your journey to better long-term health. Call the office or use online booking to request a weight loss appointment today.