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Chandigarh: “A recent Lancet study puts an alarming 70 percent of India’s urban population in the obese or overweight bracket while marking the country right in the middle of an obesity explosion.”
Talking to the media here on Saturday, Dr Amit Garg, senior bariatric & metabolic surgeon at Ivy Hospital, Mohali said that according to Lancet study, India is just behind US and China in this global hazard list of top 10 countries with highest number of obese people.
He further said that the 30 million of India’s adult population is either overweight or obese and 62 million diabetic Indians exhibit unique features of obesity like excess body fat, abdominal adiposity, increased subcutaneous (under skin) and intra-abdominal fat, and deposition of fat in ectopic sites such as liver, muscle and others, he informed.
He said that those patients who undergo diabetes or metabolic surgery within five years of the onset of diabetes, there is a 90 to 95 percent chance of them getting cured of type 2 diabetes.
Dr Arunanshu Behera, director GI surgery said that obesity is rising in India and so are weight-loss surgeries.
About 20000 weight-loss surgeries were conducted in India in 2019, up from 800 just ten years ago. India’s government now covers the cost of weight-loss surgeries for its 3 million government employees, making the procedure available for the not-so-rich as well. Also, nowadays almost all Insurance companies are also covering Bariatric Surgeries. As such, a lot of patients from Punjab, Haryana, J & K, Uttaranchal and abroad from Canada, Australia and Middle East are coming to Tricity to get bariatric surgery done, maintained Dr Arunanshu Behera.
Meanwhile Ivy Group of Hospitals also launched an obesity helpline number 80788- 80788, where patients can book a free consultation for weight loss till March 31.
Side effects of Obesity:
- Hypertension
- High blood cholesterol
- Heart diseases
- Diabetes
- Gallbladder diseases
- Stroke
- Osteoporosis
- Cancer
- Fatty liver
- Breathing disorders like asthma, bronchitis & sleep apnea syndrome
- Stress, anxiety, depression and mood changes.
Tips to reduce weight
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and less fried foods
- Eat fiber rich foods like whole grains, pulses and sprouts in your diet.
- Prefer to steam your vegetables rather than fry them.
- Eat small meals every 2-3 hours regularly rather than consuming large meals.
- Reduce the consumption of sugar, alcohol and fatty foods in your diet.
- Prefer low-fat milk over high-fat milk.
- Enrich your diet with proteins rather than carbohydrates and fats in order to reduce weight.
- Exercise daily in order to keep your body weight under control.
- Prefer to climb stairs rather than using elevators or escalators.
- Avoid sitting in the same position for longer duration at your workplaces.
- Take short breaks frequently.
- Engage in manual work through social service in order to exercise your muscles as well as contribute to society.
- Lose weight gradually and avoid aggressive weight loss diets.
