What exactly is obesity?:
"Overweight and obesity"are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2).
The WHO (World Health Organization) definition is:
a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight
a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity
Or
The absolute waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women.
Scope of the problem:
Obesity is a worldwide problem, with rates rising steadily through the years.
Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980.
In 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
More than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011.
Unfortunately, we do not have accurate Nigerian statistics, however, looking around us, we wont be too far off if we assume the obesity trends are similar in this environment.
Why should we be bothered about what we weigh?
Apart from the fact that the trendy clothes don't come in big sizes, and there may be some difficulty fitting into some seats ( airplanes and park rides inclusive) when we are obese, research has shown that as people become "overweight" and "obese," their risk for developing the following conditions increases:
• Coronary heart disease (angina/ heart attack)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High cholesterol
• Stroke
• Breathing problems
• Liver and Gallbladder disease
• Cancers (uterus breast, and colon)
• Arthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
• Gynecological problems (abnormal periods, infertility)
Interestingly, diabetes, hypertension high cholesterol and heart disease have NO SYMPTOMS. By the time an individual starts feeling unwell, COMPLICATIONS HAVE ALREADY SET IN!!!
Many of us have a close friend or relative that has been affected one way or another by a consequence of heart disease.
• The busy, upwardly mobile 40-something year old executive that slumps and dies during a board meeting due to a heart attack or stroke
• The lady that developed kidney failure as a result of long standing diabetes and/ or hypertension that has to undergo dialysis 3 times a week (each session costing over 40,000 naira), while praying and begging for funds and a willing donor to have a kidney transplant and after transplant care.
The list goes on and on....
The good news is: WE CAN PREVENT THIS!
Its time for us to take charge of our health, if not for our sakes, for the sake of our poor children.
So how did we get here?
We would all agree that the reason behind the surge in obesity and attendant diseases is due to lifestyle changes as a direct result of our "affluence" or " rising economic status".
Typical example:
• Mr ABC moves from his air conditioned house to his air conditioned car, takes the elevator to his big office, where he sits for the next 10 hours, during which he orders greasy, salty food from the nearest "happening" restaurant, washed down with sugary drinks.
At the close of work, to avoid traffic or domestic duty, he stops over at the club to grab a couple of beers with the boys, and smoke a cigar or 2, while eating salty suya/asun/peppered pomo/fish.
He gets home late and hops into bed, ready to start the cycle all over again the next day.
• Our children spend so many hours watching TV/ playing all manner of electronic games. Gone are the days of playing football and " jangrover" with our neighbors.
To combat the ever growing problems of obesity and heart disease we need to:
• Follow a diet made up of fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy carbohydrates and proteins, designed especially for you by a QUALIFIED DIETICIAN
• Reduce intake of fatty, greasy, starchy and sweet meals
• Include exercise to our DAILY schedule, no matter how little
• Encourage our children to partake in outdoor physical activity
• Undergo regular medical examinations with a QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, regardless of if we "feel okay" or not.
Kindly note:
Drugs, herbal supplements, devices and gadgets are not a healthy and effective way to loose weight.
Research has shown that when overweight/obese individuals lose 5%-10% of their body weight, they lower blood pressure, reduce LDL ["bad"] cholesterol, improve glucose tolerance, and in general, lower the risk for heart disease.
So what are you waiting for? Make the change today, do it for the sake of your children.
Dr Monisola Adanijo FMCP
Consultant Cardiologist
moni_adanijo@yahoo.com
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