Andhranews

I have been coming to India for more then 35 years now but in the past few years the problem with obesity has become more prominent. I would call it a crisis situation today where obesity, diabetes and heart problems are concerned. India has grown obese very fast in the past few years. I have found that Indians with their unique body structure, have more fat cells then other average European. Hence, they tend to put on weight more easily and faster.

While aping the western life style blindly, obesity has become a very big health hazard. Obesity problem in children has increased not because parents are not giving the right foundation but because fast food and soft drinks producers are targeting young clients. Psychologists have advised them to hit their customers when they are young because its easier to impress young minds. Once used to a certain kind of food, it is very difficult to give it up. As a result India has the largest number of diabetes patients in the world.

The best solution for diabetes control is weight loss. If we can lose five kg then diabetes comes down and can be controlled. If we try to lose weight fast, then most of the time we are losing protein and not fat. That is risky. A doctor would know how one should manage weight control programme for better health. Even if you lose 3 kg initially, then you can substantially reduce the chances of diabetes and then 1 kg a week should be the target. Secondly, weight loss has to be a continuous process and we need to maintain our weight.

Weight loss is long-term treatment, like blood pressure or diabetes management. In India, diabetes is the direct fallout of obesity and we have termed the condition — Diabicity. We need regular medication to help us maintain weight loss and Leptos has been very affective for longer durations. We need to allow doctors to treat obesity as a health problem and not just a cosmetic issue. Even the doctors in India prefer to look at obesity as secondary problem and do not stress the need to treat it is as ill health.

The trouble is that obesity is not an issue that affects only the rich. Even the poor suffer from malnutrition obesity. Pot-bellied children with a skinny body are a classic example. Many Indian children have less lean tissue and muscle, because a pregnant woman is not given proper balanced diet and this causes lack of lean tissues to support better muscle strength. It increases fat cells and decreases building blocks.

We label it as tendency to put on weight. But this weight is causing diseases like diabetes and blood pressure to grow and affect the younger generation. Another major issue of concern is that Type 2 diabetes, which occurred only at a later age, is now seen in younger people. Diabetes can spell a economic disaster for India.

I have learnt that according to a survey funded by the ministry of science and technology, in Delhi alone obesity has increased at alarming rate. Few years ago 25 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females were either overweight or obese. But in the second survey done now 48 per cent of men and 52 per cent of women in Delhi are either overweight or obese.

This is alarming because along with obesity we have huge increase in related health problems like diabetes and blood pressure. One out of every seven people in Delhi is either diabetic or is heading towards it. Then this problem is growing younger every six months. When we tested around 1,900 school children in Delhi in 2004-06 almost 18 to 20 per cent are obese with multiple irregularities in their blood.

We need to tackle obesity as an epidemic. India is creating an Obesity Task Force. It can be a major changeover possibility. It will be treated as a disease and handled like one. If we can prevent obesity then we may be able to prevent many cases of diabetes and hypertension in youngsters to create a healthier future generation.

# posted by mashup @ 9:54 AM