Owing to the surgery, Kalpana who weighed nearly 135 kg has lost 72 kg now. Bhavik, who underwent the surgery last month, lost 18 kg, while Rajesh, at 133kg, is planning to undergo the surgery soon.
Vashi's Dedhia family firmly believes that prevention is better than cure. To this end, three members of the family decided to opt for obesity surgery five years ago, even though they were not suffering from any major ailments. Rajesh Dedhia, his wife Kalpana and son Bhavik were weighing over 120 kg each when they took the decision.
Owing to the surgery, Kalpana who weighed nearly 135 kg has lost 72 kg now. Bhavik, who underwent the surgery last month, lost 18 kg, while Rajesh, at 133kg, is planning to undergo the surgery soon.
"There is a hereditary problem of obesity in our family. Luckily, no one is suffering from any obesity-related disease. But we are very much aware of the complications that can come up later. To avoid this problem, I underwent this surgery five years ago, and today I am leading a normal life. Taking my example, my son also underwent the surgery a month ago. He weighed 143 kg and underwent surgery at BSES MG hospital in Andheri. He has lost 18kg now. My husband has also planned to undergo the surgery," said Kalpana.
Doctors performed sleeve gastrectomy on Bhavik. The surgery is a restrictive form of weight-loss surgery in which approximately 85 per cent of the stomach is removed, leaving a cylindrical or sleeve-shaped stomach. The removal of a major part of stomach results in virtual elimination of ghrelin hormones, which stimulate hunger. It gives the feeling of instant fullness after a light meal.
Dr Sanjay Borude, consultant bariatric surgeon at BSES MG hospital, said, "Because of increasing awareness, people are now themselves coming forward for the surgery. This is a new trend. Before the surgery, we ask people to try all other options, such as diet change, exercise. We consider surgery only if there is no other option left."
Excessive weight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Once considered a problem only in high-income countries, obesity is now on a dramatic rise in low and middle-income countries as well, particularly in urban settings. Obesity is not a simple problem, as it can trigger at least 53 diseases.
WHO fact-sheet
Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese. As much as 39 per cent of adults aged 18 years and above were overweight in 2014, and 13 per cent were obese. Obesity is preventable.
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. Globally in 2013, the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated to be over 42 million. Close to 31 million of these were living in developing countries.
What is obesity
Obesity is defined as the abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index (BMI) – a person's weight in kg divided by the square of his or her height in metres. A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with a BMI equal to or more than 25 is considered overweight.
The fundamental cause of obesity is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. Globally, there has been an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; and an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanisation.
The consequences
Raised BMI is a major risk factor for many non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases – heart disease and stroke, which were the leading cause of deaths in 2012, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders – especially osteoarthritis, a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints, and some cancers – endometrial, breast, and colon.
Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of premature death and disability in adulthood. Obese children also experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.
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