KARACHI: A three-day long Physiology Resonates and Ozonizes Biological Existence (PROBE) 2020 Conference organised by the Department of Physiology, University of Karachi, kicked off on Tuesday.

The second PROBE Con­ference aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of health-related issues and their therapeutic approaches and also to provide a path to young researchers to continue their research with higher standards.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Haripur, Professor Dr Anwar ul Hasan Gilani informed the audience that despite the advancement in pharmaceutical medicine, disease burden is not curtailed.

He mentioned that there is progress in reducing mortality due to infectious diseases, while there is also an increase in the global trend of morbidity and mortality due to non-communicable diseases, mainly the result of obesity.

Obesity is now considered a global epidemic and growing cause of many chronic diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes, osteoarthritis, low back pain, menstrual disorders, impotence and urinary, respiratory, psychological, stomach disorders and some forms of cancer. Yet a large number of people are unaware that being obese increases the risk of developing these diseases, most of which are not best cured with pharmaceutical medicines.

Importance of diet

Professor Dr Gilani said it is not only important what you eat but equally important how you eat and when you eat. He further said that a diet based on natural foods rich in fibre, legumes, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, olives, fish along with lifestyle characterised by mental peace and more physical activity helps in controlling obesity and restores physiological functions.

While referring to a World Health Organisation report, he mentioned that more than 1.9 billon adult population of the world is overweight and over 650 million people are obese. He added that more than 340m children between age 5-19 were overweight or obese and over 41m children under age of five years were overweight or obese. Obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 and after analysing the last four decades, it has emerged that one-fifth of the world’s population will be affected by obesity by 2025.

Meanwhile, acting KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi observed that participants would share their ideas and information related to innovations in biological sciences at various levels from undergrad to PhD and would also provide new trends in biological techniques in global perspectives.

He mentioned that physiology is important because it is the foundation upon which we build our knowledge of what life is and how to treat disease and how to cope with stresses imposed upon our bodies by different environments.

The chairman of KU’s Department of Physiology Profe­ssor Dr Taseer Ahmed said that at present faculty members are running six national research programmes funded by the Higher Education Commission.

He urged the Pakistan Medical Commission to consider re-allowing graduates of physiology department to perform as faculty in medical and associated institutes as it was practiced before.

The conference is partnered with Pakistan Physiological Society and South Asian Association of Physiologists while the event is supported by the Higher Education Comm­ission Pakistan, Pakistan Science Foundation, Office of Research Innovation and Comm­ercialisation and the World Poultry Science Association.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2020