Is losing weight part of your New Year’s resolutions? Then here’s good news for you: According to Science Daily, keeping the weight you lost off over time may help lower the risk of certain diseases.

Researchers examined 417 women participating in weight loss programs, and they found that those who kept at least 10 percent of their weight off may ward off heart disease and diabetes.

According to findings, these women, who weighed nearly 200 pounds at the beginning of the trial, were able to lower their cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and inflammation markers.

Although many women find hard to stick with a health program due to work schedules, pregnancies, and menopause, researchers hope that the benefits are enough to motivate them.

“It is challenging to lose weight, but if women commit to losing 10 percent of their body weight and sustain that over time, it can have a large impact on overall risk factors associated with heart disease and diabetes,” says study co-author Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., R.D..

“The good news is that when you lose weight long-term, you just don't move to a smaller dress size, you are actually moving these risk factors markedly and likely reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

(Photo by Kevin Ryder via Flickr Creative Commons)