A large new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings shows that for overweight people, all weight loss is healthy, but the more pounds shed the more dramatic the impact on cutting one’s risk for metabolic syndrome – unhealthy conditions including high blood pressure, insulin resistance, excess waist fat, high triglycerides and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Compared to people who maintained less than a 5 percent weight loss for one year, those who lost 5-10 percent lowered their risk for metabolic syndrome by 22 percent. A 15-19 percent loss equaled a 37 percent lower risk, and a loss of 20 percent or more had a 53 percent lower risk.