Posts

Showing posts from June, 2024

Obesity epidemic of India

Image
Obesity in India is on the rise. It has reached enormous proportions. As I sit and count at airports, the number of women who look obviously overweight and obese, the figures I get is 8 out of 10. And this is around same in children of all sexes and around 6 in 10 men show clearcut overweight and obesity that is obvious even to naked eye. Anthropometric measurements might reveal more of them.  What are the likely causes? I have a theory that starts analysing these cases right from the 2000s or previous century. Junk food eating and sedantry lifestyle had already given an upward push to obesity in last century. And this also gave rise to diabetes mellitus in both men and women. Hence, such mothers also had diabetes in pregnancy. Some who did not have diabetes otherwise had gestational diabetes. From 2000 to 2026 prevalence of gestational diabetes has risen in india. It has even spread to rural areas and recent national data gives a figure of 22.4% which is almost 1 in 4 pregnant mot...

Swimming pools and seas are not for me!!!

Image
I love swimming but I think swimming is not for me. Everytime I have waded into water, I have landed with some serious illnesses.  Hepatitis A I was small and in school when my father decided to take me swimming along with him. He was good in swimming and diving. I accompanied him for a few weeks. But I developed fever, yellowish discoloration of urine and yellow sclera. I was diagnosed with hepatitis A.  An analysis of the possible causes was done. I used to never eat or drink outside. My parents were very strict on it. For school, I used to carry boiled and filtered water from home in a plastic water bottle. I used to have home cooked food at school lunch time: bread butter, bread milkmaid, bread jam or rice with curd. Then from where did I contract the bad virus? Further investigations pinpointed to the swimming pool as the likely cause of my illness. I recovered slowly with my parents' love, care and nutritious diet. But my return to the swimming pool was halted. Dad too s...