Obesity is a growing concern in Ahmedabad population, with 26.4% men and 30.7% women in the age-group of 15 to 49 years being overweight. Obesity remains one of the major risk factors of the state is endanger of developing cardiac disease.
Obesity is a global problem accounting for 2.8 million deaths worldwide. According to government data, 26.4% men and 30.7% women in Ahmedabad in the age-group of 15-49 years are overweight, making them vulnerable to cardiac disease. Doctors have expressed great concern on the matter as overweighed population is extremely vulnerable to cardiac diseases.
“India has witnessed a fourfold increase in coronary heart diseases (CHD) in last 40 years. It is estimated that by 2020, 14.4 million men and 7.7 million women will fall prey to CHD. Obesity and cardiac diseases having a great connection, the prior paving the way for heart diseases, it seems the population is under greater risk of cardiac disorders”, said Dr. Manish Khaitan, Consultant Bariatric Surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ahmedabad.
Researchers have established obesity increases adverse cardiac events in many ways. These may be indirectly mediated through risk factors associated with metabolic syndromes like dyslipidemia characterized by unhealthy lipid levels in the blood, hypertension, glucose intolerance, or effects from sleep disorders associated accompanied by obesity.
Obesity creates favourable conditions like increased blood volume, high cardiac output, left ventricular hypertrophy, and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, for cardiac failure.
“Our organs react to fat in different ways, the first reaction the body can give for increasing fat is restricted movement. This is the starting point of all the problems. An active body is a healthy body, it is a universal proposition. Restricted body movement due to extra fat in the body further makes room for some more fat. It is like a vicious cycle having adverse effects on the overall system starting with simple breathing trouble to cardiac arrest”, said Dr. Manish.
Urbanization and lifestyle alteration has brought about a series of changes in Indian population. A drastic change in food habits has played a pivotal role behind the extra fat. Desk jobs, technology dependency and lack of physical activity are one of the leading causes of fat accumulation.
“Adults and children are dependent on junk food today. They prefer eating packaged food over home-cooked food. This is creating a deficiency of nutrients in the body resulting in poor immunity system. Fried food consumption is constantly increasing the level of fat in the body, which is pushing the population towards obesity and an unhealthy future” said Dr. Manish
A drastic lifestyle change is the only way to fight fat in the body. Healthy food habit with the right amount of fat intake, no junk, fruit intake, fluid consumption, having natural sugar present in fructose and other vegetables instead of sugar, physical activity, avoiding alcohol consumption are some of the ways to shed off the extra fat in the body.
A balance of good diet and physical exercise can eliminate the chances of extra body fat, in turn, can prevent many diseases including a cardiac disorder in adults and children.
