Association of Weight Loss With Improvement in Metabolic Status Among People Eligible for the Specific Health Guidance Program

Background: While international guidelines recommend 5-10% body weight reduction, evidence characterizing the dose-response relationship between specific weight loss amounts and metabolic syndrome (MetS) resolution in real-world populations is limited. Methods and Results: In this retrospective study, we analyzed a large-scale health check-up database provided by DeSC Healthcare (Tokyo, Japan). We identified 37,256 individuals with baseline MetS eligible for the Specific Health Guidance (SHG) program (2014-2023). Logistic regression assessed the association between 1-year weight changes and subsequent MetS status. Weight loss was significantly linked to MetS resolution. Compared with weight maintenance, a weight loss of 2.0-2.9 kg showed an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.49), and a loss of ≥3.0 kg showed an OR of 0.19 (95% CI 0.18-0.21). These associations were consistent across age and sex subgroups. Secondary analyses confirmed significant improvements in waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and HbA1c. Conclusions: Weight loss over 1 year is significantly associated with MetS resolution among SHG-eligible individuals. These findings support the validity of weight loss recommendations in the fourth phase of the SHG program and offer empirical data for future health guidance design.