Packing On The Pounds – The Global Obesity Epidemic

“Worldwide obesity is so rife that it represents an evolutionary shift in human body shape”. This is the view of a U.K. researcher in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It has been reported that it is now killing three times as many people as die from malnutrition, giving rise to any one of our most common causes of premature death, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

Obesity expresses itself differently between individuals and between the sexes. It is very obvious that women’s hips have become wider, and their breasts and bottoms bigger, while men tend to have thicker necks, backs and chests, or pot bellies. Waistlines of both sexes are gradually becoming less pronounced as bodies tend to develop a more tube-like shape. ‘Apple’ and ‘Pear’ are terms used to describe the way in which the fat is accumulated. The Apple type typically stores fat above the waist, causing an enlargement of the shoulders, arms, neck, chest and upper abdomen in general. In the Pear type the thighs, buttocks and legs are excessively heavy. There also exists the Apple and Pear type, where the whole body has the appearance of a barrel. These body types need to be taken into consideration when assessing the best weight loss program for each individual.

The U.K. study has blamed an abundance of high-energy fast foods, which tend to be very aggressively marketed, together with the sedentary lifestyles which have been induced by television and computers to the problems we are seeing today in regards to weight control and weight loss. I have seen a BBC television program made in Southern India, where there is a concentration of I.T. companies whose workers routinely consume westernised fast foods which they buy in the shopping malls. Few ever undertake any form of structured exercise. The effects on their bodies are clear to see. In another film, taken in a Las Vegas casino, a group of diners could be seen sitting at table. All had similarly fat bodies and excessively broad chests. The obesity epidemic did in fact start in the USA, where 70% of people are estimated to be overweight, and half of these are actually obese. The problem has since spread to Europe, Australasia, Central America and the Middle East.

Fast food, whether meat or vegetable, contains a variety of chemicals, such as growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and plastic pollutants. These ‘obesogens’, as they are known, can severely disrupt the balance of our hormones, leading to weight gain. Some act like a shot of female estrogen, promoting the storage of fat.

The statistics can be depressing but rather than ponder the best ways to lose weight it might be preferable to take a long, careful look at diet and lifestyle factors. Changing society might be an impossibility but changing yourself is always an option. When we have a system that focuses on sickness management rather than on preventive healthcare it is sometimes necessary to take things into our own hands.

Worried about weight control? Get started on your Ayurvedic Weight Loss Program .   Call Yatan Holistic Ayurvedic Centre on 1300 552 260 to book your consultation today