Though lifestyle diseases are preventable, health experts say that people in India don’t want to invest time, energy and money in lifestyle-correction, until it is too late.
In India, lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer are increasing at a rapid pace.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the waist size for Asian men must not exceed 35 and women, not more than 32 (for the rest of the world it is 40 for men and 35 for women). If you exceed these measurements, then you have visceral fat in the abdominal cavity which could lead to heart diseases and diabetes.
- Body Mass Index above 23 is considered overweight, and above 28 is obese. The bad thing is that around 50 per cent of Indians are overweight.
- Most women switch to a diet of high-fibre and less carbs overnight, only when they start to get acne, baldness and gain weight from PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease). Most of them also care only about a good skin and body, and not about adopting a healthy lifestyle.
- Sitting is the new smoking. Physical inactivity makes the body insulin-resistant and prone to clotting, and so it is important you brisk walk for five minutes after every hour of sitting at the computer. That’s why the concept of clocking 10,000 steps a day came into being.
- Indians also eat a lot more than what is required. Anjali says one must eat only when you experience hunger (let your body feel the burn.
- People are also forgetting to drink adequate water, which is causing constipation, change in skin colour, acne, blackheads, dark circles, etc.
People in most metro cities in India are now seeing an increase in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer and obesity.
Wrong eating habits and a shift to junk food often leads to obesity. There is a strong bend towards sedentary lifestyle off late which has led to increase in lifestyle diseases. A poor diet with less intake of iron is found among Indian which explains increased numbers of anaemia and Vitamin B12 deficiency cases. A big percentage of working women population do not undergo breast cancer check up. Sedentary lifestyle also gives rise to heart problems, people as young as 30 years are found with heart blockaged.
These are some of the findings based on people who underwent preventive healthcare checkups.
This is why efforts are being made to create awareness on prevention and early detection of lifestyle diseases.
However, the good thing is that people in India are now more aware of what is right or wrong to eat.
The main focus of people should be on wellness and prevention of lifestyle diseases and to create a culture of healthy living among younger generation. The only way to reduce the cost of investment in treating lifestyle diseases is through investing in preventive healthcare. Preventive check-up and early detection helps in effective treatment and also increases life expectancy. So, it’s imperative for one and all to take preventive health check-up before it’s late.
If a person leads a healthier and more productive life, then even the nation stand to gain a significant economic upside. So, we must strive to control lifestyle diseases by adopting healthy behaviours, such as being physically active, eating a healthy and balanced diet, avoiding the harmful use of alcohol and not smoking or using tobacco products.
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