Thursday, March 13, 2008

Managing Obesity

Managing Obesity

Author: Dr. Amol More, BAMS, MD (AM)

Obesity is one of the fastest spreading Non-communicable disease today. It is a condition of excessive fat, either generalized or localized. A person who is 20% more than his Ideal Body Weight(IBW) is considered to be an obese person. Usually OBESITY is due to positive energy balance. That is, the intake of calories is more than the expenditure of calories.

Recognized since 1985 as a disease with serious health implications, OBESITY is a leading cause of preventable death, second only to cigarette smoking. Obesity has been established as a major risk factor for Hypertension, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus and some Cancers in both men and women. It affects a large number of urban population and its prevalence is increasing. Obesity is found in all age groups irrespective of sex, caste and creed, though it is still considered to be a disease of the upper class.

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