BGU, Harvard Study on Health Gains Without Weight Loss
BGU, Harvard Study on Health Gains Without Weight Loss
June 13, 2025
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Prof. Iris Shai, Nutrition and Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Community Health Sciences
The Jerusalem Post—Following a healthy diet can lead to health benefits, even without shedding pounds, according to a new study published in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The research, conducted by scientists from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the United States and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel, analyzed data from 761 adults with abdominal obesity who participated in three long-term clinical trials.
Participants adhered to healthy diets for 18 to 24 months, including the Mediterranean diet, green Mediterranean diet, low-fat, and low-carbohydrate diets. The study found that across all clinical trials, 36% of participants achieved clinically significant weight loss, but many others experienced health benefits without losing weight. Nearly one-third of participants did not lose any weight at all, with 28% resistant to weight loss, yet they still reaped many health benefits, including a lower risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions.
“We have been taught to think that without losing weight there is no health, but this study demonstrates the opposite. Real improvements can be achieved even if weight does not change,” said researcher Anat Yaskolka Meir, according to a press release published on EurekAlert.
However, even those who did not lose weight on the Mediterranean, low-fat, or low-carb diets showed notable improvements in cardiometabolic markers. Participants who adhered to a healthy diet, including those who did not lose weight, exhibited reductions in blood pressure and liver enzymes. The amount of visceral fat, which is dangerous for organs, decreased among the participants, including those resistant to weight change.
“This isn’t just about willpower or discipline—it’s about biology. And now we’re getting close to understanding it,” said researcher Prof. Iris Shai.
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