Overweight women who begin to lose excess body fat also experience an improvement in their sexual quality of life, a new American study reported yesterday.
Even a small amount of weight loss can reduce complaints about unattractive appearance and lead to increased pleasure. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) in Vancouver.
“If people benefit from weight loss and health maintenance efforts, it will encourage them to continue leading a healthy lifestyle,” said Martin Binks, Director of Behavioral Health at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina.
The researchers monitored 161 overweight women participating in a weight loss program in Minnesota. At the start of the study, nearly two-thirds of the participants reported experiencing various issues affecting their sexual life.
In the first year, the percentage of women experiencing pleasure-related issues dropped from 39% to 15%, and the number of those self-conscious about their body image decreased from 68% to 26%.
The Minnesota weight loss program lasted for two years, but the researchers noted that most of the weight loss occurred in the first year. They also found similar results in a survey of 26 overweight men participating in the Minnesota weight loss program.
Officials reported that obesity rates have been rapidly increasing in North America over the past two decades, with 64% of adults in the U.S. classified as overweight or obese.
M.T. (according to Reuters)
