Obesity will be the biggest scourge India will face after climate change and water wars, writes Dr Ravindra Kulkarni
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Obesity will be the biggest scourge India will face after climate change and water wars, writes Dr Ravindra Kulkarni
Some are born obese. Some achieve obesity, and some have obesity thrust upon 'em. As we observe the ‘World Obesity Day’ today, the young India is indeed achieving obesity and rewriting the famous Shakespearean quote of Twelfth Night. Consider the World Health Organization statistics: Currently India has 155 million obese people, second only to China (190 million). If this disturbing trend continues, by 2020 the number of obese people living in the country will perhaps surpass the number of obese people in China. The problem of obesity is so severe that in the book Globesity, A Planet Out of Control by the lead author and nutritionist Michelle Holdsworth draws a parallel between obesity crisis and that of climate change, stating that obesity is one of the reasons contributing to climate change. On the contrary, staying slim is good not only for an individual’s health but also for the welfare of the planet, suggests the author. Climate change is, however, is not my subject. Since I am an interventional cardiologist I will focus on the obesity crisis and heart disease.
Obesity and coronary heart disease
Obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease which causes angina and heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. WHO figures show that one-third of all deaths globally — about 17 million — are blamed on heart disease, stroke and related cardiovascular problems. Caused mainly due to high intake of calorific food, lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle, obesity raises the risk of heart disease. And how? Obesity raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and lowers HDL “good” cholesterol. The reduced HDL “good” cholesterol tends to increase the blood pressure levels and raises the risk of heart disease. It is not just the risk of heart disease, but obesity can also cause Type 2 diabetes. According to the International Obesity Task Force, globally around 1.7 billion people should lose weight. Of those who are overweight, about 312 million are obese. We have none to blame for this scenario except our appetites as the French author Sebastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort has rightly exclaimed that society is composed of two great classes, those that have more dinners than appetite, and those who have more appetite than dinners. The young India is going through what I call the ‘software syndrome’ --- improper food habits, lack of physical activity, high level of stress and increase in smoking and alcohol consumption. People are living much more sedentary lives. If you are rich, you can pick up a phone and order a pizza. You have a car, so you don't need to walk anywhere.
Junk This Food
Consumption of junk food has become the norm today not among the college students, but also amongst young software and BPO professionals, who go for a quick bite to save time. Increasingly software and BPO professionals are more susceptible to obesity as they are tempted to consume more fast foods and ‘junk’ foods such as hamburgers, chips, pizzas, French fries, pastas, chocolates, ice-cream, fizzy cool drinks and sweets. These foods are usually high in fat and sugar, which can both lead to obesity and increase their risk of heart disease.
A survey by Assocham titled ‘Corporate Workforce: Chronic and Lifestyle Disease’ reveals that over half of corporate India’s young staff suffers from a range of chronic obesity and lifestyle problems. Employees working in the IT and IT-enabled services (ITES), media, knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and financial services topped the list. A case in point is SAP India president Ranjan Das who died of heart attack even before he could complete 42 years.
Modern life style has proven to be the stimulus for the growth of heart diseases among the youth. Young India consumes more calories than they require. With higher levels of disposable incomes, it has become easier for youngsters to gorge on junk food and binge on alcohol. No wonder then that the market is inundated with packets and pouches of fried junk food with multinational companies pushing their products with such zeal that their products have reached the hutment shops of rural India too. Although Indian food was always high in calories, families now spend more than ever on eating out and buying processed food., According to National Sample Survey data for the category ‘beverages, refreshments and processed foods,’ the value of junk food consumed in India in 2003 was about Rs 41,000 crore; of which, rural areas accounted for a little over Rs 22,000 crore. Increasingly children love their Playstation more than the playground and fast turning into ‘couch potatoes’ with lack of outdoor activities and physical inactivity. The physical activity is less due to the study stress and rest of the time spared is consumed by the computer or the TV. I get cases of young kids suffering from obesity, hypertension and juvenile diabetes. Another disturbing phenomenon is that obesity is a serious problem among the women. Habits apart, Indians are genetically predisposed to obesity.
An obese-free India
On the World Obesity Day, we should take a pledge to fight and prevent the disease of heart and reinforce the importance of corporate wellness for the larger interests of our economy and development that largely hinges on the youth of the morrow. We should re-emphasize the importance of physical activity and a balanced vegetarian diet to fight obesity and thereby reduce the risk coronary artery disease. Parents have a crucial role in creating an obese-free India by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and healthy food in our children from a young age. Last not but not the least, we should aim to create awareness of obesity and heart disease in the workplace as well as to encourage employers to take action and ensure the health of their workforce. It is important for companies to invest in employee health as wellness programmes in the workplace can improve employee health, reduce absenteeism, reduce workforce turnover and improve employee morale and loyalty.
Five simple ways to beat obesity
1) Physical activity during work hours and exercise time helps reduce obesity.
2) Set up gyms in offices
3) Encourage employees to lead healthier lives
4) Discourage children from consuming junk food
5) Build awareness in schools, colleges and corporates on physical activity and eating habits
(The author is an interventional cardiologist and founder of
heart initiative called Just For Hearts)
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