Obesity is a complex medical condition in which a person gains an excessive amount of body fat that has an undesirable effect on his/her overall health. It is no longer remains a superficial concern. Obesity poses a huge risk in the form of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, and in the worst-case scenario, cancer.

In India, more than 150 million people are afflicted with obesity. A Bariatric surgeon in Kolkata states that obesity is the root cause of many life-threatening diseases. It is an emerging disease that can be prevented by sufficient awareness campaigns about its deadly health consequences. Due to deskbound lifestyle, unhealthy food and drinking habits, and lack of medical attention, obesity is proving to be a modern menace for this world.

Symptoms

  • Persisting weakness
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Fatigue and exhaustion
  • Loud snoring
  • Increased sweating
  • Reluctance to do any physical activity

And, of course, the most obvious sign is when your weight is much more than the average body weight.

Causes

  1. Genetically Influenced – Obesity is hereditary. Genes play an important role in determining the amount of body fat. Genetics control how the body responds to the intake of high-calorie food and beverages.
  2. Unhealthy Diet – It develops gradually over a considerable period of time due to inappropriate diet and poor lifestyle choices. Eating generous amount of fast food with high fat and sugar content makes one overweight. Drinking excessive alcohol also leads to heavyweight because of high-calorie volume.
  3. Physical Inactivity – When one gets accustomed to a sluggish routine like watching television for hours or staying glued to their computer and mobile screens, you have higher chances of getting obese.
  4. Quitting smoking – Smoking confines metabolism to a great extent. When one substitutes the time spent on smoking with snacking, it leads to the accumulation of calories.

Obesity and Mental Health

Kolkata Bariatrics have found that obesity and mental health are strongly connected. People become conscious of their appearance and tend to avoid interaction with anyone. This leads to depression, mental anxiety, hypertension, lower work achievement, and increased stress.

Obesity and Quality of Life

Obesity disrupts your standard of living and affects your will to participate in physical activities. Fatigue takes over your daily routine and you don’t enjoy outdoor activities. As a result, you avoid public places and meeting your friends and family.

Treatment

The simplest way to get rid of obesity is to exercise regularly and lose extra weight. However, in extreme cases, the doctor might recommend you to go for weight-loss surgeries. Some weight-loss surgeries are gastric bypass surgery and gastric sleeve. A bariatric surgeon often carries out laparoscopic surgery in Kolkata for weight-loss where small incisions are made in the abdomen. This leads to decreased post-surgery pain, faster recovery and fewer wounds.