Anti-Obesity Day is observed the world-over on November 26. Obesity is a condition in which body fat has accumulated to the extent that it has a negative effect on health, leading to health problems and reduction in life expectancy.
It increases the chances of heart disorders, Type-2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, types of cancer and osteoarthritis. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in India, according to some studies. Five per cent of the population are affected by morbid obesity.
Weight loss or, in medical jargon, reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) is the only tangible therapy for this medical condition.
While eating less and exercising more is seen as a simple solution to the problem, medical fraternity has a different take on this. Hunger, which is controlled by the ghrelin hormone, is a formidable enemy of those suffering from Obesity. Ghrelin is popularly referred to as the “hunger hormone” though it plays a far more significant role.
Endocrinologist Goutham Meher says a “clinical” way to control the secretion of the hunger hormone has not yet been found, and it has to therefore be done surgically. Bariatric surgery is being gradually replaced with “metabolic surgery”. This was because the benefits and mechanisms of gastrointestinal procedures extend beyond mere weight loss.
The benefits of Bariatric surgery are not permanent if they were not accompanied by changes in life styles.
Another limited treatment for obesity is the prescription of the drug, ‘Orlistat’, which prevents the absorption of fats in the diet. Its use with a reduced calorie diet should be closely monitored, Dr Meher said. Other procedures like liposuction and cryolipolysis (cool sculpting) are merely cosmetic procedures and not treatments for obesity. The subjects could put on the lost weight in normal course after these procedures, he said.
