Vol. 58 No. 23 • December 27, 2016

Today, ready-to-eat meals & junk food have replaced homemade food; Television has replaced outdoor sports; frequency of eating out has increased and old grandmother-tales and bed time stories have been replaced by iPads. No wonder that despite health implications of obesity being well-known, it continues unabated in adults and children as well.

million in 2014 from 105 million in 1975, according to a news in Wall Street Journal. India is the third most obese country in the world. There were 20 million obese women in India in 2014 and 9.8 million obese men. Severe obesity was observed in an additional 4 million Indian women. It has been estimated that one-fifth of adults worldwide will be obese by 2025. The sudden and sharp rise of obesity in children and adolescents is more concerning; it has shockingly gone up by 400% over the past 30 years.

However, obesity needs to be treated, as carrying a lot of weight has its own harmful effects in the long run. Some of the potential complications of obesity include Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, depression, heart diseases, osteoarthritis, infertility, irregular menses, impaired quality of life, sexual problems, social isolation and embarrassment.

Considering the health risks of obesity and the number of people suffering from it, it won’t be obviously incorrect to call it an epidemic.

Dr Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, a fellow homeopath who migrated to America to do research on obesity, has been involved with obesity treatment and research for over 30 years. Today, we have the privilege of learning from his experience and expertise on the subject.

His wife, Dr. Emily Dhurandhar’s research on impact of eating breakfast on weight loss prompted the US surgeons to change their recommendations on breakfast.

‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a pauper.’ Enjoy your princely lunches at Rotary!