Study: Few Dieters Keep Off Pounds

(NewsCore) - Only about one-sixth of overweight or obese Americans who deliberately shed pounds succeed in keeping them off over the long haul, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Researchers at the Hershey, Penn., college based their findings on the weight-loss status and history of 14,306 people who previously dieted.

About 36 percent of the participants were able to maintain a weight loss of five percent of their initial body mass, which was higher than the 10 to 20 percent usually found in weight-loss clinical trials. This could be because the group included people who had experienced temporary weight gain due to a lifestyle change, the researchers said.

The study found that women, adults age 75 to 84, non-Hispanic white people and those with less than a high-school education showed stronger, longer-term weight management.

Overall, women were 10 percent more likely to maintain a weight loss over many years than men, the researchers added.

Read more: New York Post