‘Obesity is gateway to fatal diseases’: Chandigarh hosts discussion on diabetes, endocrinology

Dr Sachin Mittal, one of the leading endocrinologists of India and founder of Sweet Diabetes Foundation, spoke in detail about the lethal combination of diabetes and obesity, which he terms diabesity.

“Diabetes, obesity, and heart disease have become common problems, even among the young. As per International Diabetes Federation, in India, 7.7 lakh people above 18 have diabetes, and the numbers are rising rapidly. Obesity is also increasing alarmingly across all age groups, including children and young adults. Chandigarh is fast emerging as the obesity capital of India, and it’s high time we focus on diet and healthy lifestyle to address the issue of childhood obesity,” said Dr Mittal.

As per the Indian Council for Medical Research, Chandigarh (13.6 per cent) has the highest prevalence of obesity (among adults) compared to the rest of the country (11.8 per cent). Besides Indians being a high-risk group, a sedentary lifestyle and bad dietary habits are the major factors behind this rise.

Noted speakers also included Dr Saptarishi Bhattacharya, who talked about new-age treatments for obesity while talking about healthy diet parameters. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will join the CME as the chief guest on the concluding day, April 16.