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Click here for this book 'Kakka
Kakka Idhayam Kakka'
The number of books and articles available on dieting and the amount of money spent on advertising for dieting plans, even in an emerging economy like India, is significant. Especially now, with the prosperity level of the population increasing, changes in dietary habits that could lead to an epidemic of obesity is fast emerging. The increasing number of nuclear families with both the husband and wife as breadwinners leaves little time for cooking. Eating out is now transitioning from a ‘want’ to a ‘need’. As the affordability increases, ever increasing number of companies are entering the fast food business. Not a day goes by without a new branch opened by sweet shops. Youngsters, who are the most impressionable segment of the population, are inundated with advertising that appeals to their taste buds and not necessarily to a sense of health.
It is in this context that a new research study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, becomes significant. Researchers in this facility looked at 31 different weight loss studies and found that long-term dieting alone is not sufficient to keep the weight off. Many of these diet plans are very effective in initiating the weight loss, but, none of them is able to effectively keep off the weight in the long run.
While it would be a wonderful opportunity
to have a ‘magic bullet’ to solve the issue of obesity,
the answer still seems to lie with the common sense approach
of combining calorie restriction with regular exercise.
Eating is a deeply ingrained survival drive and it is
extremely difficult for us to keep off the tasty but
unhealthy food. Foods that are rich in saturated fats and
carbohydrates tend to be extremely appealing to our taste
buds. While fatty food is essential for healthy growth,
excess amounts of fats can be devastating to our health.
Diabetes, heart attack and stroke rates are significantly
increased in people who are overweight. While reducing weight
decreases risk from such diseases, the difficulty in losing
and keeping off weight is still a significant fight against
our basic survival instincts which persistently drives us to
eat and store food.
As a person becomes obese, the fat cells
in the body, called ‘adipocytes’, actually become bigger
and also multiply to increase in number. The increased number
of ‘adipocytes’ do not decrease even after one loses
weight. If the dietary restrictions are not enforced on a
long-term basis in combination with regular exercise, it is
only a matter of time before the fat cells start storing the
excess fat and lead to increase in weight.
In the past several decades, a multitude
of dietary fads have come and gone. None have stood the test
of time as a permanent solution to the weight issue. This
does not mean that one should not attempt any dietary plans.
But, one has to understand that the dietary intervention is
only a temporary fix. Dietary plans have to be supported with
regular exercise and long-term control over our taste buds.
Healthy dietary modifications like
reducing the calories along with the fat content of food and
balancing the carbohydrate, protein and fat proportion in the
foods that we eat are to be encouraged. Healthy diet with
reduced calories has not only been shown to decrease heart
attacks, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes,
but has also been shown to prolong life in research conducted
on animals.
All this information reminds me of the
advise that I received as a kid from my grandfather who just
turned 94 – A meal should be 1/3 food, 1/3 water and 1/3
air. This profound statement is probably not far from the
scientific truth.
Click here for this book 'Kakka
Kakka Idhayam Kakka'
Dr G Balachander
Cardiologist
Illinois, USA
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