KARACHI: Health experts on Saturday warned that amid challenges of coronavirus pandemic, obesity was also impacting the country’s population with devastating effects. Speaking at a webinar organised by the Pak Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Society (PGLDS) to mark World Digestive Health Day, observed on May 29, experts from Pakistan, Middle East and South Asian countries said the only difference between pandemic caused by the Covid-19 and the ‘ongoing pandemic of obesity’ was the acuteness of the disease.

Infections have a relatively fast effect while the effects of obesity on life expectancy are more insidious, more devastating, but less acute, they added.

They also endorsed the national and international bodies’ demands regarding increase in taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), including carbonated drinks, flavoured milk, packed juices and ice tea, saying use of these beverages and junk food in addition to sedentary lifestyle was leading causes of obesity and resulting in health complications among women and children in the world.

The webinar was addressed by prominent gastroenterologists, including Prof Ajay Duesja from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, Dr Majidah Bukhari from International Medical Centre (IMC), Saudi Arabia, Prof Mamun Al Mahtab from Bangladesh, Dr Lubna Kamani from Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Dr Asma Ahmed from Aga Khan University, Karachi, and gastroenterologist Prof Dr Shahid Ahmed from Karachi. It was moderated by Dr Nazish Butt from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

In his remarks, Prof Ajay Duesja said Covid-19 was somewhat a preventable disease with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and vaccine, while obesity was even more impacting.

“We have at our disposal a number of therapeutic approaches that have been shown to be effective in stemming the pandemic. The challenge for us is to be able to deliver affordable care of obesity and its co-morbidities to a world with variable resources, expertise and cultural practices,” he added.

PGLDS president Dr Lubna Kamani said world was facing two pandemics at a time as in addition to Covid-19, obesity was another ongoing pandemic which was resulting in more deaths and misery to people as compared to some major infectious diseases. She urged governments and international health bodies to put equal emphasis on obesity and the complications caused by it.

Prof Kamani, who is the associate professor of gastroenterology, maintained that obesity was the root cause of most of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and most importantly, fatty liver disease, which appeared to be the leading cause of liver failure in countries like Pakistan.

“According to WHO and some local studies, every fourth person is overweight in Pakistan while 30 to 35 per cent people are obese in the country. Similarly, over 20 per cent of school-going children are either overweight or obese and due to restrictions of Covid-19, this number is constantly on the rise”, she said and endorsed the national and international bodies’ demands to increase taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages in Pakistan to discourage their consumption and control the pandemic of obesity.

Patron of the PGLDS Dr Shahid Ahmed said poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles were causes of weight gain and obesity worldwide, and among the main risk factors for several lethal diseases, including diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, fatty liver disease as well as fatigue and many other health conditions.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2021