Apparently even a moderate weight loss saw a reduction of complaints of feeling sexually unattractive and led to improved desire.

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) in Vancouver.

Martin Binks, director of behavioral health at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina, says that if people experience benefits and rewards from their weight loss and health efforts, it may motivate them to continue a healthy lifestyle.

In the study researchers tracked 161 obese women participating in a prescription weight loss program in Minnesota and found almost two-thirds reported problems with aspects of their sex life when the study began.

Within the first year, the percentage of women who said they had problems with sexual desire dropped to 15 percent from 39 percent, and the number who felt they were sexually unattractive dropped to 26 percent from 68 percent.

Although the Minnesota weight loss program lasted for two years, health experts say it is normal for the majority of the weight loss to be in the first year.

According to the researchers similar results were found in a survey of 26 obese men in the Minnesota weight-loss program, but they caution that the small number of male participants in the study made it difficult to draw definitive conclusions from the data.

Many health officials say there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in North America in the past two decades, and 64 percent of adults in the United States are considered to be overweight or obese.

Women with the highest levels of omega 3 in their diets reduced their risk of dry eye syndrome by 20 percent compared to women with the lowest levels of this fat in their diet. A dietary ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 greater than 15:1 was associated with a 2.5-fold increased risk of dry eye syndrome in women. Currently, the average American diet consists of a similarly high ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Tuna consumption reduced the risk of dry eye syndrome. Women who reported eating at least five servings of tuna per week had a 68 percent reduced risk of dry eye syndrome compared to women who consumed one serving per week. Other fish types that have lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids did not appear to protect against dry eye syndrome. "We are accustomed to the mantra 'you are what you eat' and our study suggests that this also applies to a person's vision," said Debra Schaumberg, ScD, OD, MPH, the senior author of the study, clinical associate scientist at SERI, and associate epidemiologist at BWH. "Based on this report, preventing dry eye syndrome is another potential reason to follow a diet rich in tuna and other foods plentiful in omega 3 fatty acids."

These findings are based on surveys completed by more than 37,000 women enrolled in the landmark, BWH-based Women's Health Study. Survey questions were designed to elicit information about an individual's history of diagnosed dry eye syndrome and dietary habits.

eri.harvard/