Obesity: A demon that’s worse than Covid 19 Pandemic
Vivek Thiruvengadam
Founder, QubitFit | I help busy professionals defy obesity, lose weight & live longer through sustainable nutrition and fitness habits | Expert in chronic conditions: Diabetes, PCOS, Hypertension
Covid 19 shook the entire world in 2019 and we lost so many of our near and dear ones. As of May 5th, 2022, over 6.2 lakh people(WHO Reports)? have died due to covid 19 and it’s a massive number. Without an inch of doubt, this has been one of the biggest wars that humans have to fight against. Condolences to those who have lost their lives and big thumbs up to the people who have survived this period.
As things are slowly getting back to normalcy(at least by the time I write this blog), people are getting back to their usual routines, working professionals started going back to the office, and students getting back to schools and colleges, malls and theatres are back to full form. As things are getting back to normalcy, can we say that our war with covid 19 has ended? Can we relax now that the demon that has been haunting humans for nearly two and half years is losing its power?
Even if you think that way, I am here to remind you that we have received only the consolation prize. There is a far worse demon that humans have been fighting for years and the name of that is Obesity.?
“Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health” As per WHO reports, around 2.8 million people die every year due to Obesity, which is 3-4 times more than Covid.?
Studies have shown that adults and children who were obese had an increased risk of severe illness from Covid, tripled the risk of hospitalization due to covid 19 infection, and had problems with their breathing due to decreased lung capacity.? This meta-analysis concluded that Obese individuals were more susceptible to contracting the virus, had a higher risk of ICU admission, and increased risk of mortality.
Obesity is one of the major drivers for people to start developing lifestyle diseases like Type 2 Diabetes , Hypertension, PCOS, Fatty Liver & Hypercholesterolemia. There is also emerging evidence that points us in the direction that Obesity in middle age can cause many neurological disorders Including dementia(particularly Alzheimer’s) at old age.?Now, that we understood Obesity is even more catastrophic than Covid 19, what’s the next step??
The first step is awareness. Know your numbers. How do I know if I am Obese are not???
There are three ways through which you can determine if you are Obese are not -
?There are three ways through which you can determine if you are Obese are not -?
BMI - The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30, and overweight as a BMI of ≥25. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. You can calculate your BMI here
Waist to Hip Ratio - Wasit to Hip ratio measures the ratio of your waist circumference to hip circumference. We typically store fat on our Waist, Hips, and Buttocks area, so this metric gives us a very good measure of how much excess fat we carry around our belly and hip areas. Ideal WHR for men is less than 0.95 and less than 0.80 for women. The higher the ratio, the more you are prone to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. You can calculate your WHR here
Body Fat % - Body fat % gives us the exact percentage contribution of your weight coming from fat mass. The ideal body fat % for the general population is 16-20% for men and 25-30% for women. More the body fat %, the higher the risk of developing lifestyle diseases. You can calculate your theoretical body fat % here . Note: This is not an accurate method to determine your body fat %, but a good place to start.
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My intention of this article is not to scare people, but rather to share the fact that people are not aware that Obesity is a medical condition that needs to be addressed. Being aware of your numbers and taking steps to reduce your excess body fat today will help your body to be better prepared and combat your villains tomorrow. You know what villains I am talking about here.?
It’s today and not tomorrow. Invest in your health today to have a better future.
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