WHAT IS DIETING

CURRENT UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE DIET IN GENERAL POPULATION

Whenever a word “DIET” or “DIETING” comes in our mind ,our perception of it is all about losing weight which we have gained all over these years . Usually a person perceives him/herself  fit until they land up with some disease like diabetes , hypertension ,or if some one start telling them that their tummy is showing up ,face looks swollen etc . Sometimes a doctor notices that your BMI (body mass index) is going above the recommended range and now it triggers an emotion in you that you somehow wants to lose weight. The most common reaction is , you start searching over google how to lose weight fast in a week or month , and you get trapped with so many guru’s or quacks who promises you certain number of weight loss with their magic pills , shakes , or some trick .

The weight loss information that people were likely to access online was often substandard quality because most comprehensive and quality websites ranked too low in search result

Ref – www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4167115/

OBESITY IN INDIA

Obesity in India has reached epidemic proportion in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country’s population. Cause include rising middle class income and easy access to unhealthy and processed food by just a click of button and integration of global food chain in local market. In addition there is prevalence of SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) named rs12970134 gene in Indians which makes them prone for truncal and abdominal obesity. (Source – Wikipedia)

NTERNATIONALLY BMI >25KG/M SQ —- OVERWEIGHT

INDIA – BMI> 23 KG/MSQ — OVERWEIGHT (JAPI 2009)

In India highest rate of obesity is in Delhi, Punjab, Kerala, Goa, and lowest in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Tripura.  Females have affected more than males in all the states. (Wikipedia)

Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are directly linked with obesity and level of inactivity.

Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of mortality in India, affects them a decade earlier at their most productive year as compared to their western counter part

Ref – https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.008729

LEAN OBESITY

It is defined as person with BMI with in normal range but body fat percentage is above the normal limits, i.e >32% in females and >25% in males.  Usually they lack skeletal muscle mass either because of sarcopenia (progressive muscle loss due to ageing) or because of disuse muscle atrophy.  On the contrary, person with above normal BMI but with less body fat % are metabolically healthier and are very less prone to get metabolic diseases like diabetes. Lean obese are always at high risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.  No wonder we get to see many thin and lean people with heart attack in our country.

SOLUTION:   

Structured eating pattern along with resistance exercises and some aerobic activities as per the goal for fitness.  Many young males and females prefer to look lean and shredded for which they need to come down to around 12-15% body fat% for males and 25-28% for females. Going below 10% of body fat (for males) and (around 20% for females) is required for stage competition for athletes competing in various categories.

This extreme fat reduction requires some knowledge of nutrition science with supervision from experts, and proper re-feeding protocol for reversal of hormonal and metabolic adaptations post competition.

Well many of you who are reading this surely doesn’t want to go extreme and just wants to remain in optimal body composition and away from lifestyle related diseases like diabetes and hypertension. So my focus ahead would be mostly on this. 

Sarcopenia:

It is physiological loss of muscle mass after the age of 35. Every decade after this age a person lose 10% of muscle. It’s a forgotten entity and no one gives heed to it.

Loss of muscle mass leads to less glycogen storage capacity, low insulin sensitivity, which ultimately leads to glucose intolerance and diabetes.

The only way to combat this physiological process is optimum protein intake of muscle protein synthesis along with structured muscle training work progressive overloading.

There are enormous benefits of strength training apart from physical health. Strength training modulates hormones and make one feel content, productive, makes one disciplined. It helps us in doing our day to day task better and with ease. There is positive correlation of it with our mental health. As such there is no age bar, any gender of any age can start weight training and builds strength over the period of time.

Eating right and regular exercises is my lifestyle It should be considered as par with basic hygiene.

.

By DR IMRAN NOORMOHAMMED
MBBS, MD, IDCCM, EDIC
CONSULTANT CRITICAL CARE PHYSICIAN