Obesity patient support group meeting held

Ludhiana, December 17, 2021: Obesity is the most undisguised and yet most neglected problem in today’s world. It is crushing people under its psychological and pathological weight. 
DMCH Ludhiana organised an obesity patients’ support group meeting today at Dumra Auditorium. The meeting was conducted by Dr Ashish Ahuja (Professor Department of surgery and bariatric surgeon) and Dr P S Nain (Professor Department of surgery and bariatric surgeon).
In this event, the correlation of obesity with covid 19 was explained. Mortality in covid 19 patients with obesity is much higher than patients with normal BMI because it is involved in etiology of Insulin resistance which boosts the inflammatory state, which may lead to increased severity of COVID-19.
Obesity is also a recognized risk factor for severe COVID-19 possibly related to chronic inflammation that disrupts immune and thrombogenic responses to pathogens as well as to impaired lung function from excess weight.
 Obesity may triple the risk of hospitalisation during covid 19 infection. Various aspects and causes of obesity were discussed during the meeting along with various ways by which obesity can be cured and the role of bariatric surgery was discussed by the doctors.
Deputy dietician Shilpa  Singh explained the role of portion size control in reducing the excess weight. She also explained that fad diets are not the permanent solution but consistent efforts with Regular dietary modification and lifestyle changes like making sure to drink plenty of water in the winters and avoiding Fried and fatty foods during winters is a way to counter obesity. Converting junk food to healthier alternatives like preparing food at home using products with low glycemic index like replacing processed Cheese with paneer (cottage cheese) and using Atta bread instead of refined flour and using Whole-wheat flour to quote some of the alternatives.
Dr Ashish Ahuja presented his experience regarding Patients Suffering from Obesity and A presentation regarding the success of Batiatic Surgery Was given. Dr P.S. Nain shared his valuable experience regarding modern problems In Obese patients and gave his Solutions and Success of Bariatric Surgery. Aadhar Kaul, student of DMCH (MBBS) shared his struggles with weight loss and motivated the audience to lead a healthy lifestyle.  In the end questions related to obesity and bariatric surgery were taken by the panelists. Diet counselling and BMI calculation was done by dietetics department. The MBBS interns (Dr Parneetika Birah, Dr Sukhbir K. Ghuman, Dr Aashi Sachdeva, Dr Rupali and MBBS students Aadhar Kaul and Manjot K Ghuman) were co organisers of the event.