Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The trend of having junk food, physical inactivity and eating more than the requirement are the leading causes of obesity among the people.

According to Sharif Astori of the federal capital’s Polyclinic Hospital, people usually take food more than the requirement of their body, age and weight and ultimately suffer from the disease of obesity.

While talking to media persons, he said that most of the people do not follow a balanced diet schedule due to their busy routine life. They continue to sit on chairs after having meal during office hours, travel in cars and take rest at their homes without doing any exercise.

He said that exercise is necessary for healthy life as it helps consume the food taken by the human body. The amount of calories one takes should be consumed by physical exercise, he added.

The doctor further said the obesity also occurs genetically and when a person takes food more than the requirement, extra calories and cholesterol are deposited in the human body which causes obesity.

Many people prefer cold drinks than drinking simple water, which also causes obesity, he said. Most of the schools in the federal capital lack playgrounds – which are essential for keeping students active and healthy.

“Children and adults now resort to electronic gadgets to play games and avoid going outside for physical activities,” Astori said.

Shifa International Hospital Consultant Nutritionist Rezzan Khan said that unhealthy diet causes inflammation in human body and leads to obesity. She said that millions of people worldwide are at risk of being affected by obesity – which is the root cause of many diseases.

Many obese individuals opt for a starvation diet to lose weight, which is quite dangerous and only leads to further long-term weight gain, she added. She also pointed out that an overweight person is not necessarily an obese person, as obesity is an excess of body fat, resulting in significant impairment of health.