If you are obese, losing just five percent of your body weight may improve your health. In a small study researchers observed obese people in both a weight maintenance and weight loss group. “Those who lost 5 percent of body weight had reduced overall fat mass, improved sensitivity of their liver and muscle to the effects of the hormone insulin, and improvement in function of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. More weight loss further improved these factors, the authors reported in Cell Metabolism.” The researchers urged people to start small over an extended period of time for maximum health results.