Obesity leads to many diseases: Dr Tahir
ITRAT BASHIR
LAHORE: Terming obesity as a life-disabling condition that leads to many other diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, infertility, severe joint pains and cancer, a leading health professional said that a research suggests that eating slowly can help you consume less calories as it makes you feel full sooner.
‘Furthermore, obesity affects a person’s self-image, confidence and may even lead to social withdrawal,” said Dr. Tahir Yunas, who is an American Board of Surgery certified Consultant Advanced Laparoscopic, Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgery, while talking to Business Recorder, here on Saturday.
According to him, to overcome obesity related complications, the group of ALSA Pakistan located in Evercare Hospital, Lahore is offering one of the most comprehensive weight management options in Pakistan. Our team will make a complete assessment of one condition and advise what options needed to treat the obesity making lifestyle changes, using medications or having weight-loss or bariatric surgery.
The ALSA Pakistan Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery Center has a team of dedicated physicians and specialists with vast experiences in the treatment of obesity. “We offer all weight-loss options using a multidisciplinary approach for lifestyle changes, psychological counseling, medical and surgical treatments,” he said.
Sharing about obesity, he said that it is defined by the body mass index (BMI) and an average Pakistani male of 170cm should have a weight less than 90kg and average Pakistani female of 155cm should be less than 8Okg. If the BMI reaches 35 kg/m2 it is considered morbid obesity and the person is at high risk to develop diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol and disabling knee or back pains.
Such a person should seek medical help to lose weight. Most (80 percent) of diabetes is a result of obesity. Treating obesity in these patients has dramatic improvements on the diabetes, he added.
He observed that bariatric surgery is a very effective treatment for obesity and diabetes that has been endorsed by over 54 international medical societies, including the American Diabetic Association and International Diabetes Federation. “The surgeries are done on the stomach and digestive system and the body fat is not removed in these surgeries. The common bariatric surgeries include Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy, Laparoscopic Classis Gastric Bypass (Roux Y), and the Laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass (also called One-Anastomosis Bypass). These procedures are the standard of care and are offered by Evercare Hospital. These surgeries are done laparoscopically through small key-holes without the need to make a large cut. Hence patients have less pain and are able to recover quickly from the surgery,” he added.
According to him, Bariatric surgery leads to burning of the fat stores and body weight loss. Other benefits of the surgery include a dramatic improvement in the blood sugars or diabetes. Between 60 percent and 80 percent of diabetic patients will not need the diabetic medications after these surgeries.
while the remaining will only need a fraction of their original medications. Other diseases such blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint and low back pains and sleep apnea show great improvements as well.
