Employees Go Lean for Green

A new study shows that paying people to lose weight works, a possible boon to employers and employees beset by the high costs of obesity. Researchers separated participants, who weren’t given a specific weight loss program, into three groups—two of which would be paid either $7 or $14 for weight loss and the third would receive nothing.

Participants in the $14 group were more than five times more likely to lose 5% of their body weight. Some experts say the results may induce businesses to pay employees to slim down, especially since obesity results in decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher medical bills. Big companies spend about $285,000 yearly on obesity-related issues, USA Today reports. (More weight loss stories.)