Around 16 per cent of the adults and 25 per cent of children in the urban areas in the country are obese, which is the underlying cause for complex ailments like diabetes, blood pressure and heart diseases.
Obesity is the second biggest cause for deaths worldwide after smoking, according Nandakishore Dukkipati, director at Apollo Health City’s Center for Bariatric Surgery, which was inaugurated by U.S. Consul-General Cornelis M. Keur here on Sunday.
Dr. Nandakishore said the percentage of people with obesity was only the tip of the iceberg as a vast majority were on the borderline.He said the problem of obesity was growing exponentially among children. He suggested that schools should be made to check from second class the students height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) every six months. He said that BMI up to 25 was acceptable. Modern-day life styles, fast food, stress, lack of exercise were increasing obesity.
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Inaugurating the center, Mr. Keur said the return of professionals to India after working in the United States for several years had proved the critics of ‘brain drain’ wrong. Sangita Reddy, executive director, Apollo Hospitals group, also spoke on the occasion.