Picture obesity and you would think of a person in either their 20s or 30s, sitting in front of a couch, gorging on fast food. Cut to 2016, doctors are seeing teenage patients who are in need of major operations such as bariatric surgery. Obesity has long stopped being an adult problem and the leading cause of non-communicable disease.“We are seeing young adults in our OPD with cardiac problems. The weight gain starts in children as young as 10 and peaks during puberty,” said Dr Phulrenu Chauhan, head, department of endocrinology, PD Hinduja Hospital.
Picture obesity and you would think of a person in either their 20s or 30s, sitting in front of a couch, gorging on fast food. Cut to 2016, doctors are seeing teenage patients who are in need of major operations such as bariatric surgery. Obesity has long stopped being an adult problem and the leading cause of non-communicable disease.“We are seeing young adults in our OPD with cardiac problems. The weight gain starts in children as young as 10 and peaks during puberty,” said Dr Phulrenu Chauhan, head, department of endocrinology, PD Hinduja Hospital.
WORLD OBESITY DAY
Dr Chauhan says both parents and schools are to be blamed for it. “There are times schools don't allow home food and the kind of food many school canteens serve is rich in calories,” she added.
Obese children are the ones most at risk of developing conditions like diabetes, hypertension and cardiac problems. “These are adult onset of childhood disorders that obesity leads to,” said Dr Fazal Nabi, hon. consultant Pediatrician and Intensivist, Jaslok Hospital.
While calorie-rich diet and lack of exercise is the prime reason for the spurt in the number of obese children, urban spaces that provide little opportunity for children to play outdoors are also to be blamed for it.
“The biggest mistake is that most people think that saturated fats and elevated cholesterol gives you cardiac disease and makes you fat but in fact it is sugar and processed carbohydrates that are responsible for both these things,” says John Gloster, Chief Quality Officer & Board Advisor, KOOH Sports. “Not reading the labels on packaged foods these days to look for ‘hidden sugars' - for eg; 200 ml tetra pack of fruit juice contains more sugar than a 200 ml can of coke,” he added.
Not all is gloomy, though. There is plenty that parents can do to ensure that children are raised healthy. “Reduce the time spent in front of a screen, encourage them to pursue sports and reduce their fast food intake,” is Dr Nabi's advice to parents.
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 "World Obesity Day")
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