As we are aware that obesity leads to a lot of health-related issues. Obesity is said to be a major risk factor in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and is also regarded as a factor in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia etc. Though, obesity is highly prevalent in India, whereas; a robust, pan-Indian estimate of obesity is not yet available.

Research says that the prevalence of obesity in India is 40.3%. Zonal variations vary as: the area in the South is highest at 46.51% and the east lowest at 32.96%. Obesity was seen to be more prevalent among women as compared to that of men (41.88% vs. 38.67%), urban than rural (44.17% vs. 36.08%), and over 40 than under 40 (45.81% vs. 34.58%). Surprisingly, more education implied higher obesity (44.6% educated vs. 38% uneducated), as did lower physical activity over higher physical activity (43.71% inactive vs. 32.56% vigorously active).

Across all the zones in India, obesity levels are very high. Obesity increases with age and is higher amongst women and the urban population. Obesity is the highest among ageing urban men and women, and amongst the population that is educated. Physical activity and ageing are the strongest determinants of obesity. Since obesity leads to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease, urgent public health measures should necessarily be taken to reduce its impact.

Obesity is a condition characterized by an increase in the size and amount of fat cells in the body. It is a chronic disorder that is officially classified as a disease by the World Health Organization (WHO), and also by several other national and international organizations.

The definition of the term by the Obesity Medicine Association captures both its complex etiology and diverse consequences: “a chronic, relapsing, multi-factorial, neurobehavioral disease, wherein an increase in body fat promotes adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal fat mass physical forces, resulting in adverse metabolic, biomechanical and psychosocial health consequences.”

According to the WHO, obesity is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers (endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon), and osteoarthritis.

Researchers have pointed out that, obesity is also associated with unemployment, social disadvantages, and reduced socioeconomic productivity.

In 2016, the WHO had estimated that, more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide (39%) were overweight, and over 650 million (13%) were obese.

Researchers claim that obesity is commonly studied as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular morbidities. However, both the causes for, and the effect of, obesity have a neurological component as well.

A recent study suggests that an impaired appetite regulation in obese individuals is because of cerebral insulin resistance, leading to both an increased hepatic glucose production and a reduced muscle glucose intake, thus implicating the brain directly in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome, and making it one of the members of the so-called ominous octet.

The effects of obesity on the brain are an area of intense investigative activity. New evidence is emerging which indicates that obesity without type 2 diabetes results in a three-fold increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Furthermore, because of the strong correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and impairments in insulin and insulin-like growth factor gene expression and signalling in the brain, Alzheimer’s disease may represent a brain-specific form of diabetes, sometimes referred to as “type 3 diabetes.”

It is strongly believed that obesity is responsible for 5% of all global deaths. The worldwide economic impact of obesity is estimated to be US$2 trillion, putting it in the same category as smoking and armed conflict. Based on research, there are growing evidence as well, that socioeconomic productivity is undermined by obesity. It is to be noted that these estimates do not include the neurological aspects of obesity, so the true implications of obesity are likely to be higher than whatever has been mentioned here.

(With inputs from: A Multifactor Analysis of a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study on Prevalence of Obesity in India)