Some Facts about Obesity in India

People who are overweight or obese face a lot of health complications, negative consequences, and concerns. In fact, being overweight or obese increases a person’s risk for many diseases and health conditions. Unfortunately, obesity in India has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population, which amounts to a whopping 6 crore individuals. India is following a trend of other developing countries that are steadily becoming more obese.

There has been some improvement in the area of obesity, as weight loss surgery in India gains momentum, but due to the weight loss surgery cost in India, which is still relatively expensive, not a lot of people can choose to opt for weight loss or bariatric surgery in India.

According to experts that specialize in weight loss surgery in Delhi NCR at a hospital in Gurgaon, weight loss surgery is bound to become cheaper with time. There are certain facts though which are given below, that everyone must be aware of, obese or not, and do everything in their power to fight this condition. Have a look.

• Obesity is linked to more than 60 chronic diseases

  If you are overweight or obese, your risk for dozens of diseases and conditions is higher. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and many other diseases.

• Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults

  Children who are overweight or obese are five times more likely to be obese or overweight adults than children of normal weight. This can increase their risk for many chronic diseases and health complications.

• Your waist size increases your risk for diabetes

  Researchers found that men with waist circumferences in the highest 10 percent of measurements were 20 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than men whose waist circumferences fell in the lowest 10 percent. Also, waist measurements may help predict which people with a low or normal weight are more likely to develop diabetes.

• Obesity is a killer

  Globally, obesity is one of the top five leading causes of death. It causes more than 2.8 million deaths each year. The other four leading causes are high blood pressure, tobacco use, high blood glucose, and physical inactivity.

• Obesity is most common in middle age

  Adults between the ages of 40 and 59 are more likely to be obese. In fact, more than 40 percent of adults between these ages are obese. Another one-third of adults age 60 and over are obese, and another one-third (32.3 percent) of adults age 20 to 39 are obese.