World Bodybuilding

There are several main advantages for an athlete or for every human being of getting rid of fat:

Longer life
Want to live for years to come? You could steal a donkey and bravely head off in search of the life-extending Holy Grail -or just shed some fat. A study in The New England Journal Of Medicine showed subjects with a body mass index (BMI) over 27.5 had a greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cancer. Work your BMI out by dividing your weight in kilos by your height in meters squared.

More happiness
Losing some chub can make the world brighter. In a study from the University of Pennsylvania, subjects with depression who lost eight per cent of their body weight over six months reported an improvement in their symptoms.

Less injury
Piling on the fat makes you more vulnerable to injury because it puts pressure on your muscles, tendons and joints. Being overweight makes you more than twice as likely to be injured in exercise, a British Journal Of Sports Medicine study revealed.

Improved brainpower
Being slimmer can make you smarter. US researchers conducted a memory test of 150 people, all of whom weighed more than 136kg. Three months later the tests were done again. Subjects who lost 23kg over the period were more attentive and had increased cognitive ability, while those patients who remained obese showed a loss of memory.

Lower blood pressure
Modern life is stressful enough - don't let flab make things worse. People who reduced their weight by 4.5kg over a 30-month period decreased their risk of hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a study in the Annals Of Internal Medicine.

Fewer aches and pains
Everyone wants a long and healthy life, so lose weight now and you won't spend your twilight years feeling as if you've gone 12 rounds with David Haye. An American study showed those with a BMI of under 18.5 were 8.9 per cent less likely to suffer knee pain and 3.6 per cent less susceptible to a dodgy hip.

Less chance off illness
Being fat isn't a disease but excess weight could increase your risk of contracting one. Men who lost weight over five years had a much lower risk of diabetes, according to a study of nearly 7,000 men in the Journal Of Epidemiology & Community Health.