The benefits of losing weight - not so easy to tell

Surprisingly, a reputable medical journal, discussing the benefits of losing weight, concluded: "We simply do not know whether a person who loses 20 lb. will thereby acquire the same reduced risk as a person who started out 20 lb. lighter." -- New England Journal of Medicine. The results of the 'Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension' trial, published in the Journal in 1997 (336:1117-24) demonstrated that subjects could reduce their blood pressure by consuming a healthier diet, even without losing weight. The conclusion? Avoiding weight gain in the first place. These findings seem to contradict many others but in fact they don't. Losing weight the healthy way means becoming healthier AND thinner. On the other hand, losing weight the unhealthy way means becoming skinnier AND unhealthier.