A lot of this isn't new info.....but what the heck
Symposium on obesity held
Hormonal and hereditary causes of obesity more common among Indians Hormonal and hereditary causes of obesity more common among Indians
CHENNAI: MIOT Hospital at Manapakkam organised a symposium on obesity and the surgical methods available to treat the condition here last weekend to mark World Anti-Obesity Day.
While there are no accurate figures that spell the proportion of obese Indians, the projected statistics set it at around 15 to 18 per cent, doctors said. By 2020, the projected number could touch 25 per cent.
Hormonal and hereditary causes of obesity were more common among Indians as opposed to that of overeating among Americans. This meant that morbidly obese Indians, or those with a body mass index above 30 or 35 along with diseases such as diabetes often require surgical treatment, the doctors said.
Among women, the causes of obesity tended to be a complex set of hereditary and lifestyle factors. Obese women are found to have life expectancies lowered by almost a third, and are at a significantly higher risk of getting breast, uterus or cervix cancer. They are prone to having irregular periods, complications during child delivery, varicose veins, and being infertile.
Quick-fix solutions would not be as effective as making behavioural changes, involving keeping track of calories consumed and exercising, doctors said. Weight loss pills were generally proteins that fooled the stomach into thinking it was full, while other devices that promise to melt away inches were usually vibrating belts that displaced fat from one portion of the body to another.
Bariatric surgery guaranteed weight loss and the alleviation of diseases associated with morbid obesity such as hypertension, cardiac problems and knee or back pain, they said. The procedures of stapling, gastric banding and gastric bypass that reduce the capacity of the stomach would be done through the keyhole method for patients who have received counselling and need assessment.
MIOT offers free registration and counselling for the programme titled `War Over Weight' (WOW) till December 6. For details, call 9841013863.
Obesity in India
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