Obesity has become a huge cause of concern in India in recent times. Being obese is completely different from being overweight. While there is a lot of awareness and written content of weight management, little is known about obesity and its treatment. The stigma associated with obesity has also shell-cased patients suffering from it from seeking medical help or knowing more about it.
This Anti Obesity Day (26th Nov) we start our fight against obesity with the awareness campaign #Indiafightsobesity. The main focus of this campaign is to make people aware of the health setbacks obesity can lead to and to eradicate the social stigma and taboo related to obesity and its treatment.
According to Dr Mohit Bhandari, Founder Director, Mohak Bariatrics and Robotics, Indore, obesity is a health hazard and requires immediate medical supervision and treatment.
Dr Bhandari is one of the first bariatric surgeons to perform a robot-assisted bariatric surgery and the first and the youngest to have performed a documented obesity surgery in Asia. He also features in the Limca Book of Records in 2015 for performing 25 bariatric procedures in an 11-hour span with the help of a team of 40 doctors.
Candidates for bariatric surgery had to have a BMI greater than 40 kg/m2 or greater than 35 kg/m2 with associated comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension or sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Treating obesity has always been surrounded by taboo and stigma majorly because it is still treated as a cosmetic procedure that is done to look toned and beautiful.
While you would be tempted to link the weight loss procedures with the actual obesity treatment, it is not the same. Although your weight might be due to water retention, muscle mass, bone weight and fat accumulation, obesity is linked only with the amount of fat in your body.
”People are not open to the idea of treatment for obesity because they don’t understand it. Obesity is considered cosmetic”
Some of the most common challenges associated with obesity treatment are as follows-
”In India, we have thousands of morbidly obese patients and we are only able to treat 1% of them”
How Has the Mindset of People Changed about Getting Treated for Obesity?
In the last five years, you can see a lot of change in the attitude of the patients with regards to obesity and its treatment. While our grandparents might have ignored their weight gain as overeating, we are more aware and concerned about our BMIs and are also aware of the various medical options available to treat obesity.
It is interesting to note that obesity might not just be due to an unhealthy lifestyle but can be associated with causes like genetic factors and hormonal imbalances which also need to be considered.
We now know that obesity within the BMI of 32 can be treated with lifestyle alterations and diet management and anything beyond that requires a different approach. Medical management and lifestyle modification cannot do much in the case of morbid obesity where surgery is the only option for sustained results.
Severe heart failure, unstable coronary artery disease, end-stage lung disease, active cancer treatment, and drug/alcohol dependency are some situations when bariatric surgery is not recommended.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Bariatric surgeries are proven to have long-lasting and a significant impact on weight loss and have been practised by surgeons across the globe from around the 1960s. It can be divided into the Malabsorptive procedures (which involve the reduction of nutrient absorption), the Restrictive procedures (which decrease the food intake by adjusting the gastric band) and hybrid procedures which involve a bit of both.
”Surgeries which are done to manage obesity, are not cosmetic surgeries.”
Some of the health issues related to obesity are:
Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is a new weight loss procedure. It’s designed to reduce the volume of your stomach. It’s done by endoscope, which means there’s no cutting or scarring. Endoscopy has fewer side effects than surgery.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Measuring obesity varies as you age as your ideal weight and your overall body height changes with age. While you can find more bone and muscle mass in young, it is less in adults.
Hence, you should take into account the body composition analysis, basal metabolic rate and bone and muscle mass to determine how obese you are. You must also take into account the obesity-related diseases and health complications you have in order to treat them effectively.
Here are some tips to manage your weight:
This Anti-Obesity Day, take a pledge to have an active lifestyle and manage your weight with the right attitude. While you do have a plethora of treatments available to treat obesity, only the right attitude and behaviour towards it would ensure longevity and a healthy body.
Also Read: How to Lose Butt Fat: Comprehensive Guide to a Toned Physique
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
It is a known fact that eating too much junk can be detrimental to your health and cause serious repercussions in the future. There are many chronic health conditions like obesity, high sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure that can directly be linked to the consumption of junk food.
In this blog, we unravel the impact of junk foods on health and their long-term impact on your body with Dr Mehul Choksi.
Dr Mehul Choksi is one of the leading Consultant Gastroenterologist practising in Mumbai. He is proficient and has successfully handled many Gastroenterology procedures like Gastroscopic biopsies, Endoscopic sclerotherapy, endoscopic variceal ligation, Snare polypectomy and PEG tube placement among many others.
Junk Food and Its Impact on Your Health
It’s important to know the impact junk food has on our health to understand the severity of the situation. Food like burgers, pizza, French fries can be had once a while and should be restricted to one time a day.
Foods like these contain high levels of sugar, fat and salt which together and even individually can lead to conditions like diabetes, obesity and heart diseases if not kept in check.
”A person can have junk food once in a while but whatever junk food is planned to be consumed should have been freshly prepared and served hot.”
Some of the most common ailments that such foods can cause are:
You can clearly find that junk food does more harm than good to the body. This is mainly due to the fact that these junk foods have less or no presence of necessary nutrients and also have low satiation level. This means that you would end up overeating something which is of low nutritional value.
”Long-term intake can lead to constipation and vital nutrient, vitamin and mineral deficiencies.”
Nowadays, we can see kids and the younger generation increasingly indulging in fast food. Regularly eating junk food might create various health problems like malnutrition, dental problems, etc. I would highly recommend restraining your kids from having junk food more often.
Dr. Siddharth Gupta, B.A.M.S, M.D (Ayu)
How Does It Impact the Kids and Teenagers?
The impact of junk food can be seen quite visibly among the younger generations, especially the teenagers and pre-teens as they get overly influenced by the marketing commercials seen on television. You can often see groups of young teenagers in fast food joints eating a whole assortment of unhealthy food on a regular basis.
This has lead to a drastic increase in obesity and a decrease in their daily nutritional intake which further complicates their health. Gastroenterologists see many cases of teenage obesity, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis on a daily basis due to these bad food choices.
Since foods high in sugar and salt are known to elevate the serotonin levels in the body, it also leads to constant mood swings and anxiety-like symptoms every time the sugar levels in your body crashes.
They also experience loss in concentration and extreme fatigue coupled with a drop in cognitive senses. Unlike the elderly who would have specific ailments pertaining to digestion and processing of junk food and its contents, the teenagers would also have to cope with mental ailments and cognitive disabilities if exposed to too much junk food.
”Junk food is harmful because it contains a high level of calories from sugar or fat without the presence of fibre, protein, vitamins or minerals.”
Having junk food constantly might have adverse effects on your kid’s mental health. It is been studied that kids who eat junk food frequently might experience psychological distress and show violent behaviour.
Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS
Also Read: Are French Fries Healthy? A Detailed Nutritional Analysis
Junk the Junk food
Junk food tastes delectable due to the high amounts of sugar and salt present in it. Consuming it too much is sure to have negative effects on your health and has the potential to cause irreversible damage to your vital organs.
Only Permissible levels of Junk Food is advisable
These permissible limits are subjective to the amount of physical activity and exercises one does during the day.
Also Read: Best Fast Food For Weight Watchers: Making Healthy Choices on the Go
In Conclusion
Junk food may be the most preferred food but definitely not the healthiest. It is very important that you know how much is too much for your body. Consuming permissible amounts accordingly on an occasional basis should be the way to devour junk food.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.
Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
