India's Growing Obesity Challenge

The world is facing a double burden of malnutrition: undernourishment in some regions, and overnutrition, particularly obesity, in others. This trend is concerning, and India is no exception.

A Global Crisis:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2022, over 1.9 billion adults were overweight globally, with obesity affecting over 650 million. This number has significantly increased since 1975, highlighting a global crisis. Some alarming key facts stated by WHO

• In 2022, 1 in 8 people in the world were living with obesity.?
• Worldwide adult obesity has more than doubled since 1990, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled.
• In 2022, 2.5 billion adults (18 years and older) were overweight. Of these, 890 million were living with obesity.
• In 2022, 43% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight and 16% were living with obesity.
• In 2022, 37 million children under the age of 5 were overweight.
• Over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were overweight in 2022, including 160 million who were living with obesity.

India's Growing Problem:

India, once primarily concerned with undernutrition, is now grappling with a rising tide of obesity. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) recently revised dietary guidelines to address this growing concern.

The rise in obesity is attributed to several factors.

Shifting Diets: Consumption of processed foods high in calories, carbohydrates and unhealthy fats has increased, while physical activity levels have declined.

Urbanization: Lifestyle changes associated with urbanization, like increased reliance on transportation and less physically demanding jobs, contribute to weight gain.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for several chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Being overweight can also lead to diabetes and its associated conditions, including blindness, limb amputations, and the need for dialysis. Rates of diabetes have quadrupled since around the world since 1980. Carrying excess weight can lead to musculoskeletal disorders including osteoarthritis. Obesity is also associated with some cancers, including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney and colon. The risk of these noncommunicable diseases increases even when a person is only slightly overweight and grows more serious as the body mass index (BMI) climbs.

Many of the causes of overweight and obesity are preventable and reversible. Although other factors are involved, the fundamental cause of obesity is an imbalance of calories consumed and calories expended. As global diets have changed in recent decades, there has been an increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods high in fat and free sugars. There has also been a decrease in physical activity due to the changing nature of many types of work, more access to transportation and increased urbanization.

While healthy diets and increased physical activity are cornerstones of weight management, sometimes additional support can be helpful. Consulting a doctor or registered dietitian can help individuals explore supplementation options that complement their weight management plan. However, it's crucial to be wary of gimmicky quick fixes. The internet is unfortunately full of unsafe and unrealistic weight-loss methods.

A Focus on Long-Term Wellness:

YourHappyLife understands the challenges of weight management in today's world. And we are committed to developing safe and effective solutions to support individuals on their journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

Stay tuned because we have something coming up that will change how you manage your weight.

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