Obesity among urban population in India rising at rapid pace

Obesity among urban population in India is growing at a rapid pace with up to 17 per cent of urban teenagers being obese, according to a medical expert.

The cosmopolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore had become centres of obesity due to consumption of junk food and sedentary lifestyle, said Dr J S Rajkumar, a leading surgeon, who had successfully performed over 75 bariatric surgeries laparoscopically in South India.

He said obesity had become a pandemic around the world, causing more number of deaths than smoking-related deaths as it increased the risk of heart, lung and kidney diseases and could also cause sleep apnea.

He said bariatic surgery was one of a minimal invasive procedures to control obesity. Last year alone, 2.5 lakh bariatric surgeries were performed the world over.

The surgery, which cost from Rs 2.50 lakh to Rs 3.50 lakh, was performed, to reduce the size of stomach so that the intake of food and also absorption of fat by intestines were reduced.

Dr Rajkumar said the procedure was also said to control diabetes in patients and extend their longivity.

A comprehensive bariatric surgery data showed that patients who underwent a bariatric surgical procedure experienced improvement of their co-morbid conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea, he said.

''Eleven out of 75 patients who have undergone the surgery are diabetic and their condition has improved to a point of having little or no need for continuing medication,'' he claimed.

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