Obesity rising among young Bengalureans, say doctors

Most of them also have diabetes, high BP and heart diseases

Obesity is rising among young people in Bengaluru, with most of them having other co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, doctors say.

The National Family Health Survey, conducted by the Union government, has found at least 32% women and 26% men in Bengaluru obese or overweight. This size of the population has a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25, which is considered overweight. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women).

Just last week, doctors at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research saw a woman as young as 34 suffering a massive heart attack. Dr C N Manjunath, director of the institute, told Deccan Herald that they were seeing more young people having a range of cardiac ailments, from hypertension to coronary artery disease.

“We see more and more obese patients with hypertension. Usually they also have diabetes. Then, many overweight people also have coronary artery disease,” he said.

Doctors blame the prevalence of obesity on lifestyle. Dr Manjunath said that most of the obese patients led a sedentary lifestyle while some had hereditary causes. “There is a lack of exercise, too,” he added.

Dr Ajith Benedict Royan, director, Hosmat Hospital, said the problem was more common among women than men as per the trend they had been seeing. Most women now lead a sedentary lifestyle, hence they tend to be obese.

“The food intake is more and they burn less calories. They don’t exercise, and technology has made it easy to quickly finish household chores,” he said.

Orthopaedic disorders is another problem the obese face. “Wear and tear of knees is common among obese people. Since the knees tend to bear the brunt, they come under a lot of pressure and suffer damage,” Dr Royan said.

“Some of the patients come in such severe conditions that knee replacement becomes necessary.”