| |
 Dr Deepak Varma,Consultant Gastro Surgeon,Aster Medcity, Kochi Obesity today is on the rise, bringing with it the
accompanying risk factors of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart
disease. Globally, the World Health Organisation has a target to stop the rise
in obesity by 2025. The problem is also increasing in India with a Lancet study
putting India in the top 3 countries with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the
country's population.
Cultural factors are responsible for India's obesity problem including a fat and
carbohydrate heavy diet and aversion to physical work in the population at large
with obesity being linked to prosperity! A change in lifestyle has added to the
mix with Indians increasingly eating out following a rise in disposable income
with growth in the economy. People tend to eat more when they eat out, adding to
the calorie intake. The type of food that is consumed when eating out is usually
North Indian and Chinese or fast food like pizzas and burgers which are all high
in calories. Consumption of sugar in food as well as in beverages has gone up,
especially in the younger generation. Another effect of the change is lifestyle
is that more and more people today have desk jobs which are sedentary. This
leads to a lack of physical exercise and promotes obesity.
Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used to find the extent of a person’s obesity. It
is a measure of body fat in relation to height and applies to most adult men and
women. Estimates suggest that being overweight (BMI 25 to less than 30) reduces
life expectancy by about three years, and being obese (BMI 30 or more) can
reduce life expectancy by 10 years.
Obesity needs to be tackled early. Studies have shown that childhood obesity
increases the risk of obesity during later life and contributes to the early
development of a number of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and
high blood pressure. Therefore it is important that obesity be controlled in
children.
The end result of the increase in obesity is a rise in the risk of developing
non-communicable diseases. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including
high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis,
gallbladder disease and gallstones, gout, breathing problems such as sleep
apnoea and some cancers. Abdominal obesity is also associated with an increased
risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Obesity also results in psychological effects like low self-esteem resulting
from social and employment discrimination. Focusing on an optimal mix of diet
and exercise to lose weight is the advice given by physicians. It must be
remembered that weight loss is more than a physical challenge, it’s a mental
challenge! In cases of severe and morbid obesity, the individual may need to go
in for bariatric surgery to reduce the size of the stomach.
It is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle to ensure good health for all!
|
WHATSAPP
