News
Obesity-The Silent Killer
26 May 2020
We all know about overweight and obesity. When we put on extra weight, it is generally said to become overweight. Obesity means having far too much body fat. It is about much more than your clothing size or how you look. It can seriously affect your health. So here is the definition of obesity given by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue, to the extent that health may be impaired. So it is not only related to your excess body fat but also it is a medical problem that increases your risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.
You will be surprised to know that in developing countries, obesity is more common in middle-aged women, people of higher socioeconomic status, and those living in urban communities. While in developed countries, obesity is common not only in the middle-aged but is also becoming increasingly prevalent among younger adults and children. Obesity has very high costs for societies, as the resulting disabilities and diseases create huge burdens for families and health systems. One of the important causes of obesity is rapidly changing diets and lifestyles which are fueling the global obesity epidemic.
Now wait for a moment I know all are keen to know how obesity is measured and diagnosed. It can be measured at home on the basis of body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio indicating that fat is accumulated around the waist also known as central obesity. WHO defines obesity in terms of body mass index (BMI), which is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used in classifying overweight and obesity in adult populations and individuals and more recently in terms of its distribution through waist circumference or waist-hip circumference ratio measurements. Now have a look at WHO classification of adult underweight, overweight and obesity according to BMI
Classification
|
BMI (kg/m2)
|
Underweight
|
< 18.5
|
Normal range
|
18.5-24.9
|
Overweight
|
25.0-29.7
|
Obese (Grade I)
|
30.0-34.9
|
Obese (Grade II)
|
35.0-39.9
|
Obese (Grade III)
|
= 40.0
|
So BMI is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2). For example, an adult who weighs 90 kg and whose height is 1.65 meter will have a BMI of 33.06.
BMI = 85 / 2.56 = 33.02
According to WHO: a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight and a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity. People with a BMI below 18.5 kg/m 2 tend to be underweight.
What causes obesity and overweight?
The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. Globally, there has been:
- An increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; and
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An increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.
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Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with the development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing, and education.
How can overweight and obesity be reduced?
At the individual level, people can:
- Limit energy intake from total fats and sugars;
- Increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts; and
- Engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes spread throughout the week for adults).
The food industry can play a significant role in promoting healthy diets by:
- Reducing the fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods;
- Ensuring that healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers;
- Restricting marketing of foods high in sugars, salt and fats, especially those foods aimed at children and teenagers; and
- Ensuring the availability of healthy food choices and supporting regular physical activity practice in the workplace.
Dr. Kamran Javed Naquvi
Associate Profesor & HoD
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Rama University, Kanpur
kamranjaved.fphs@ramauniversity.ac.in