OBESITY 2 LAST

Situation at Apollo Hospital is similar, with 8-10 cases Situation at Apollo Hospital is similar, with 8-10 casesof bariatric surgeries being done there. A hospital source said, "In bariatric (weight-loss)surgeries, women outnumber men at our hospital. Many alsocome out of peer pressure to shape up or because they wish tocosmetically augment their look, and 60 per cent of these arewomen. "Most of the obese cases are related to the age bracket of20-30." Chowbey said obesity could be caused by three factors –hereditary, hormonal or food habit and lifestyle. "For hereditary cases there isn’t much help but forhormone-triggered obesity, the cure is more of medicationrather than surgery. But, many people who come for bariatricsurgeries, are those who have turned obese due to junk foodand alcohol consumption," he said. But, health is not the only factor associated withobesity, marital and sex life is also getting affect by it,according to the study. Fifty seven per cent men versus 77 per cent women felttheir partners stopped taking care of the weight postmarriage. Also, 84 per cent women versus 58 per cent of menadmitted that due to obesity one can’t dress the way one wouldhave liked to, it says. Besides, 93 per cent men versus 87 per cent women felt"obesity impacts sexual performance". "Women affected by obesity are also likely to suffer frompolycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a problem in which awoman’s hormones are out of balance and causes small cysts togrow on their ovaries," he said. Chowbey says, for BMI of 32 kg/sqm, it is called morbidobesity and after 50 BMI, it is superobesity. "We do get cases of superobesity too in Delhi. We have hadpatients with BMI of 70 and 90 also," he said, adding, "peoplego for weigh-loss surgeries also because in India body shamingis also a factor." According to the study, 8.8 per cent respondents wereunaware that bariatric surgery is an option for weight-losswhile over 10 per cent said they will consider surgicalprocedures to fight obesity. PTI KND ZMNDIP