Obesity, cardio-vascular diseases on rise in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jul 30: Unhealthy lifestyle and faulty eating habits are increasing the risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardio-vascular diseases and obesity, which have increased manifold in the last twenty years.
Quoting a study, a doctor at SKIMS Soura told Kashmir News Service (KNS) that in India, diabetic cases have quadrupled from the year 1980-2018 and the trend is clearly visible in Jammu and Kashmir too.
Obesity has also emerged as another major illness in Kashmir. Health experts report that obesity has increased by 400 % in the last 40 years due to sedentary lifestyle, high calorie diet, junk food consumption, lack of exercise and sleep.
A physician at SMHS Hospital warned “Overweight children and adolescents are at a higher risk of suffering from a fatty liver.”
“Due to sedentary lifestyle, people accumulate 5-10% of extra fat in the liver. With proper medications and some lifestyle changes, fatty liver can be resolved.  However, it can cause great damage to the liver if ignored,” he said.
In his recent visit to Kashmir, Dr. Neerav Goyal, Liver Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals had said that “Hepatitis C and intake of heavy fat diet were the main reasons for liver failure in Kashmir”
He had also talked about the lifestyle diseases common among local people lead to severe damage requiring liver transplant.
“Seeing the increasing number of liver disease patients in the Valley, a liver transplant center should be established here. We are already working on it,” he said
Umar Khan, a researcher scholar blames his deskbound work schedule for fatty liver and back-ache. “I have been advised lifestyle change immediately by the doctor. I plan to start gyming very soon. I have currently surveying which gym will be best suited to me.”
As the city turns into a hub of lifestyle diseases, a new wave of fitness consciousness is spurring a change. Big and established fitness chains like “Anytime fitness” and “Gold Gym” are trying to tap into the market to reach out to locals here.
“Although my lifestyle is not sedentary but I would still like to be fit and visit a gym for that. It’s good to see a fitness culture developing in our society. For me the gyms are more about burning your extra pounds rather than making a six pack body,” said Mohammad Abdullah.
The new fitness centers unlike the traditional gymnasiums offer effective fitness regimens and workout programs like yoga and martial arts classes in a group setting. A new slew of workouts aims to foster fitness, enhances strength, and help in improving balance, agility, coordination.
“Youth today want to feel and look good at any cost. We are doing our bit by providing them with the best fitness resources and service,” said Aijaz Ahmad, who joined fitness centre last year.