Why Weight Loss is Good

Why is it Important to Lose Weight?

Here are some interesting facts about the benefits of weight loss for your health.

Being only 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30 to 60 pounds with every step.

-John Hopkins Medicine, March 27. 2012, Dr. Susan Bartlett

Three to six times a person’s body weight is exerted across the knee while walking- an increase in body weight increases the force by this amount.

-Wight and Osteoarthritis, The Journal of Rheumatology, 1995; 43; 7-9.

A new study shows that for each pound of body weight loss, there is a 4-pound reduction in the joint stress among overweight and obese people with osteoarthritis of the knee. The accumulative reduction in the load for a 1-pound loss of weight would be more than 4,800 pounds per mile walked. For people losing 10 pounds, each knee would be subject to 40,000 pounds less in compressive load per mile walked.

-Dr. Stephen Messier, The Journal of Rheumatism, July 2005.

Overweight women have nearly 4 times the risk of knee osteoarthritis.

For overweight men, the risk of osteoarthritis is 5 times greater.

-American Journal of Epidemiology, 1988; 128:179-189

According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), two out of three obese individuals will suffer from the osteoarthritis sometime in their lives. Although diet and exercise can help with weight loss, it’s a double-edged sword. If your knees hurt, it’s harder to lose weight through exercise.

In adults over age 60, only 12% had knee pain if they were normal weight and 55% had knee pain if they were overweight, 10% had hip pain if they were normal weight and 23% had hip pain if they were overweight, 20% had back pain if they were normal weight and 26% had back pain if they were overweight, The conclusion of the study among US adults age 60 years and older, the prevalence of significant knee, hip and back pain increases with increases weight.

-Obesity Research, 11:1159-1162, 2003

It is estimated that persons in the highest percentage of body weight have up to 10 times the risk of knee osteoarthritis than those with the lowest percentage.

-Felson, DT: Weight and Osteoarthritis Journal of Rheumatology, 1995; 43: 7-9

For a woman of normal height, for every 11 pounds of weight loss, the risk of knee osteoarthritis dropped 50%. For men who could get their body mass index down from 30 or higher to between 25 and 29, knee osteoarthritis decreased an estimated 20%.

–The Journal of Arthritis and Rheumatology, Risk Factors for Incidence of Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis in the Elderly, 1997; 40: 728-733.

A study form Framingham, Massachusetts found that overweight individuals in their 30s who did not have osteoarthritis were at greater risk of developing the disease. Other investigations which perform repeated x-rays have also found that being overweight significantly increases the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.

–Annuals of Rheumatology, 1992:51:932-937. A 12-year study follow-up study in the general population on prognostic factors of cartilage loss in osteoarthritis of the knee. Schouton J.S. et. Al

When you walk across level ground, the force on your knees is equivalent to 1.5 times your bodyweight. That means a 200-pound person will put 300 pounds of pressure on their knees with each step. Add an incline and the force is greater. The force on each knee is 2 to 3 times your bodyweight when you squat to tie a shoelace or pick up an item you dropped.

-Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School, April 23, 2015.

Carrying extra body fat can also lead to the release of the hormone called leptin. Some experts think leptin may play a role in the development of osteoarthritis. In addition, body fat can release substances that promote inflammation in your body. Two of these are called tumor necrosis alpha and interleukin-1 appears to play an important role in the cartilage damage seen in osteoarthritis