Obesity is an epidemic that plagues people across the globe. It is estimated that 300 million people in the world are obese and closer to home in India, 14 per cent of Indian men and 18 per cent of Indian women are obese. While several people try to lose weight by exercising or going to the gym, they often forget that exercise is a means to get healthy and instead, they start perceiving exercise as way to get skinny and have a “glamorous” body. To understand the problem of obesity one needs to first understand that obesity is not merely an external appearance and is much more than a cosmetic predicament.
In fact, obesity is a disease and a silent killer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death to serious conditions that reduce overall quality of life. Obesity is associated with increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, heart diseases, stroke and certain forms of cancer.
Cause and effect
The reasons for obesity is complex and poorly understood but it includes genetic, behavioural, psychological and most importantly lifestyle factors. In fact, even though many people go the gym often and exercise seven days a week, they still face a weight problem. Indians enjoy a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates with fats and sugars. In addition to this diet, the increased use of automated transport, technology at home, and more leisure pursuits means there is very little time and space left for physical activity.
In fact, children consume nearly 20 per cent of their total daily calories from nutrient-empty, high calorie food and an over weight child or adolescent grows up to be an obese adult. The relative risk of developing diabetes is three times greater in an obese person than of person with normal weight. Therefore, to stay fit it’s not enough if you just exercise. It’s important to ensure that even though you work out, your diet must remain healthy.
no excuse to pig out
Working out at gyms and regular exercise doesn’t mean you can binge on junk food. According to Anitha Priyadarshani, who is dietician at the Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad, “Junk food doesn’t just pile up calories it also has harmful effects on the body. Junk food contains large quantities of saturated fatty acids and when this type of fat is digested, it releases a lot of toxins in the body and these toxins do not contain vitamins and minerals that are important for the body’s immunity system. In fact, a high intake of junk food can lead to early ageing.” Prevention of obesity includes regular physical activity that is complemented with a healthy diet.
Dr T.L.V.D. Prasad Babu is a senior surgical gastroenterologist and bariatric surgeon at the Yashoda Hospital.
(with inputs from Anitha Priyadarshani, dietician, Yashoda Hospital)