Asia grapples with obesity epidemics

Changes in diet coupled with increasingly inactive lifestyles have sparked off epidemics of obesity in several Asian countries, delegates to the ninth Asian congress of nutrition said in New Delhi last week.

Doctors said obesity is a burgeoning public health problem that will strain healthcare services and increase the incidence of heart disease and diabetes across South Asia.

Researchers also cautioned that as cardiovascular disease in Asians is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes doctors might need to evaluate new biomarkers for heart disease.

“There has been a significant increase in the consumption of fats and energy dense foods with a concurrent reduction in physical activity,” said Dr Prakash Shetty, head of nutrition planning at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

“The risk of obesity in India is highest in the 20% of the population that consumes 80% of visible dietary fat,” said Dr Umesh Kapil, professor of human nutrition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Professor Kapil said that school surveys in Indian cities show that 30% of adolescents from India's higher economic groups are overweight. And a Sri Lankan study has shown that 14% of urban schoolchildren are overweight, two thirds of whom are from families with high income.

Although India's cereal production has soared, the cultivation of pulses, fruits, and vegetables has stagnated. Indian nutritionists say the consumption of fruits and vegetables in India is abysmally low—less than 150 g a day, against the recommended 400 g.

In Malaysia too, doctors are blaming high fat intake and sedentary lifestyles for fuelling urban and rural rises in obesity. A study involving 12000 children showed that 80% of their leisure time was spent watching television or on indoor games.

“We're heading for a disaster,” said Dr M Noor Ismail from the department of nutrition at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia. A national survey had shown that a fifth of adults are overweight and 6% obese.