5-percent weight loss beneficial to health: study

Shedding just five percent of body weight will have a huge impact on one's health, a study of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis says.

It's enough to decrease total body fat, visceral fat that hugs one's organs, and liver fat. Moreover, the small weight loss can lower the blood pressure and improve the insulin sensitivity. All together this can also mean a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, the study authors say.

"The results show that you get a large 'bang for your buck' with a five percent weight loss. But an additional 10 to 15 percent weight loss continues to cause even more improvements in measures like blood lipids and blood pressure," said study co-author Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine.

The study has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.