Tag: Obesity

Medical

August 9, 2021
/ Leave a Comment on Can Weight Loss impact Hypertension?

6 min
2 years
1,158 word

Tagged Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index, Hypertension, Obesity, Weight

Can Weight Loss impact Hypertension?

Does Weight Loss reduce Hypertension?

AUTHOR : DR. SHRUTI

Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate around the globe. Recent estimates show that at least 500000000 people are overweight whose BMI exists between 25 to 29.9 and 250000000 are obese with BMI of 30 or more worldwide. BMI is the Body Mass Index which is a key measure of one’s weight to his/her height. It fairly gives an idea of total body fat. It has a scale ranging from 18 to 31.

Normal = 18-24.9

Overweight = 25-29.9

Obesity = 30 or more

Hypertension is medical terminology for high blood pressure. Blood pressure is nothing but the pressure or force of blood against the arteries in the body. It is termed high blood pressure when this pressure stays elevated for a longer period of time. It is very dangerous as it exerts the heart’s work by an accumulation of plaque in the arteries/ hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis). Hypertension can be defined when SBP (systolic blood pressure) is more than 140 mm Hg and DBP (diastolic blood pressure) is higher than 90 mm Hg whereas the normal blood pressure is when SBP is 120 mm Hg and DBP is 80 mm Hg. However one should understand that SBP between 120-139 and DBP between 80-89 is termed as a condition called Pre-hypertension. It is increasing prevalently and becoming a global burden. It has been estimated that 1 billion people are roughly suffering from high blood pressure worldwide. Hypertension is not limited to be associated with heart diseases but also with renal diseases, stroke, blindness, and of course heart failure. Hypertension is also known as “the silent killer” as without even knowing, people are walking with it. Many risk factors that increase the chances of developing these chronic diseases. However, there are risk factors that can be controlled also and are as follows-

Risk factors that are controllable	Risk factors that can’t be controlled
High cholesterol	Hereditary or family history
Tobacco	Age
Diabetes
Overweight
High BP
Less physical activity

Caffeine also plays a role in raising blood pressure but has a short time effect as after some time blood pressure goes back to normal. Drinks like coffee, tea, soft drinks (containing caffeine). Apart from this, stress/anxiety increases blood pressure.

How is weight associated with blood pressure?

Bodyweight is directly linked to blood pressure which means as the body weight increases, it significantly increases blood pressure. Being obese or even overweight makes one more susceptible to develop high blood pressure. There are many studies done in the past which have proven that even a small amount of loss in weight helps to prevent and to treat high blood pressure. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute issued two reports as national guidelines in 2002 and 2003 for treatment and prevention of high blood pressure. It has been mentioned in the guidelines that lifestyle adjustments help prevent and treat high blood pressure. The first line of treatment is to start living a healthy lifestyle. Even almost 100 yrs back, in 1920, it has been proven that reducing weight has a significant effect on lowering high blood pressure. Dr. Fisher also quoted that “lifestyle changes can lower blood pressure as much as pills can, and sometimes even more”.

How to prevent and control high blood pressure?

There is an urgent need to focus on increasing cases of high blood pressure. If anybody is suffering from high blood pressure, it is not only the doctor who helps you to prevent you but it is one’s duty also by taking certain measures which will help him to stay away from high pressure. Before going for any measures to be taken, he/she should be confident and always remind himself/herself that “I can do it!” Measures to be taken are as follows-

Target Weight – Lowering weight reduces high blood pressure. It has been proven that losing even 10 pounds lowers high blood pressure.
Physically Active – We all need 30 minutes of physical activity almost every day such as walking, bicycling, dancing, aerobics, etc. It helps reduce blood pressure. If anybody has a habit of physical workouts, the need to see a doctor decreases. As the age advances, there is much need to start moderate physical activity as it reduces the chances of heart attack irrespective of even family history. A person can even divide 30 minutes into shorter intervals of 10 minutes each but 30 minutes of vigorous and continuous workout brings better results than shorter intervals.
Target Diet – Diet plays an important role in decreasing high blood pressure and reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure. The DASH approach has been suggested to the patient for a complete eating plan. It stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It suggests eating food which has low-fat, cholesterol, low fat dairy items and whole grain, nuts, fishes, high fiber and protein, high in potassium, calcium and low intake of salt or sodium as it helps reduce high blood pressure. DASH eating plan increases intake of fruits, vegetables, and also grains. One can modify the DASH eating plan if he/she has to reduce weight and then have to take a low-calorie diet.

Have an apple instead of 4 cookies and save 80 calories.
Have 2 ounces of chicken and 1 ½ cups of raw vegetables instead of 5 ounces of chicken and save 50 calories.
Have a 1 ½ ounce milk chocolate bar instead of ½ cup of low-fat frozen yogurt and save 110 calories.

Tips to have low-calorie diet-

Use fat-free condiments.
Have small portions of food.
Choose low-fat dairy products.
Do a snack of fruit, unsalted popcorn.
Cut on foods with added sugar like ice creams, candy bars, etc.

Watch on sodium intake – Low sodium levels help in keeping the blood pressure at a healthy level.

Tips to reduce salt intake-

Instead of canned vegetables, buy fresh ones.
Have poultry meat instead of processed.
Using herbs instead of salt.
Wash the canned food to remove extra sodium.

Cutting on alcohol – Drinking alcohol causes blood pressure to rise. It also increases weight as it possesses lots of calories. It has a negative impact on the liver, brain, and heart.
Medications – Apart from lifestyle modifications, there are drugs available that have proven their efficiency in high blood pressure reduction. Categories of drugs are as follows-

Diuretics	They help in removing extra sodium and water via urine.
Alpha-blockers	Helps to pass blood easily by reducing nerve impulses.
Beta-blockers	They also help reduce nerve impulses which helps the heart beat with less force causing blood pressure to low and vessels relax.
Alpha-beta blockers	They have both the functions of alpha and beta-blockers.
ACE inhibitors	They prevent the formation of Angiotensin II, as they decrease the width of vessels.
Angiotensin antagonists	These protect vessels from Angiotensin II.
Ca+ channel blockers	They stop the entry of calcium into the muscle of the heart.
Nervous system inhibitors	They have the same function as alpha-blockers.
Vasodilators	They relax the muscle of the vessel walls by directly opening up the vessels.

Regular meditation to keep oneself away from stress and anxiety.

It is better to start putting on yourself for your blood pressure from today itself!

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR SITE

Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Obesity

Article

July 23, 2021
/ Leave a Comment on Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Obesity

5 min
2 years
892 words

Tagged COVID-19, Lockdown, Obesity, Pandemic

Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Obesity

Healthcare Professionals worldwide are worried about this increasing trend of obesity cases. Along with the increased cases of COVID-19, diet and lifestyle conditions imposed a great risk of obesity both on adults and children. All this increases co-morbidities and deaths because of COVID-19.

Obesity during COVID-19 Lockdown

AUTHOR : DR. SHRUTI

COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant global burden, around the globe. COVID-19 pandemic emerged in December 2019 when the first case came into existence, since then it has caused destruction worldwide. It is a contagious disease that spreads from one to another through both direct and indirect contact. It is known to have originated from China, specifically Wuhan. It started in China covering almost every country. It was spreading even quicker than the fire in the forest, leading to more and more hospitalizations and deaths. To slow down its spread, every country around the globe imposed lockdown, banned flights, and applied curfews where no one was allowed to go out. Only essential items like medicine and fruits, vegetables, and general stores were allowed to work that too only for a few hours a day. Along with this, COVID appropriate behavior to be followed such as-

Frequent use of hand sanitizers or hand washing
Social Distancing (2 gaj ki doori)
Mask on while going out
Avoid going out unnecessarily

Initially, one-third of the world’s population, which is nearly 3 billion people, was locked down to break the chain of infection by physical isolation. It has been found from a pandemic that apart from its direct effect i.e. infection; it has indirectly shown a change in the behaviors at individual level such as education, isolation, unemployment, and income but also at the health system level. Apart from this, one should also focus as patients for cancer, cardiac diseases, or any other chronic disorder other than COVID-19, have faced the worst consequences even at the cost of their death due to the implementation lockdown. All the elective surgeries were postponed and only emergencies were entertained along with COVID-19 cases. It has also affected the sleep and eating patterns of people which has a direct impact on their physical well-being. There was limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, less exercising, and more consumption of unhealthy food. Also, many studies have been conducted which showed more screen time, more hours of sleep, and an additional meal per day. These activities harm maintaining a healthy weight as they lead to increased weight followed by an increase in BMI particularly in this period. Obesity is most common in patients suffering from COVID as it is linked with the severity of the disease. Apart from isolations, factors such as age, gender, and underlying conditions need to be considered. Irrespective of COVID-19, it is associated with severe chronic diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), CVD (cardiovascular disorders), diabetes, CKD (chronic kidney disease). Continuous isolation due to lockdown reduced physical activity which ultimately leads to obesity, followed by increasing risk of a pandemic.

Obesity can be defined as excessive accumulation of fat anywhere in the body which is a risk to the health of the human being. Worldwide the burden of obesity has shown a steady increase and a major factor contributing to it is a modern or sedentary lifestyle. This got more aggravated during the lockdown period. It has not affected adults but children also as no physical work out were allowed because schools were closed leading to zero physical activity. Obesity is increasing to a greater extent around the globe, which is of public health importance and COVID-19 risk. As per past studies done, the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and CVD is 2% and 10% higher respectively when associated with obesity. Weight gain is known to be the most important independent factor for chronic disorders. Treatment and management of these disorders are both directly and indirectly hampered due to this pandemic and so obesity has shown its prevalence to a great extent. There are three main risks with obesity and are as follows-

Risk of chronic disorders
More susceptible to infections (affecting innate and adaptive immunity)
Long-term COVID-19 after effects on obese population.

Obesity is considered a modifiable risk factor for COVID-19. It is highly related to mortality. The adipose tissue, which is fat tissue, is rich in ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptors that help in accumulation of the COVID virus. It leads to a greater viral load followed by viremia. It alters the immune function of the body by increasing susceptibility to infections.

Recommended measures to control or reduce the increasing trend of COVID-19 are as follows-

Consume a well-balanced diet- Dietary intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lentils, and nuts. Cut on junk foods, carbonated drinks, refined sugars.
Promote access and availability of healthy food.
Consume 3-4 liters of water per day.
Yoga and meditation to get good mental peace by de-stressing yourself.
Perform indoor activities like Zumba/Aerobics to stay physically active.
Encourage mild physical activity with COVID-appropriate behavior or with physical limitations.
Target social determinants of health also such as overcrowded places, sedentary lifestyle, low level of education, poverty, etc.
Awareness about obesity to the general public.
Ensure the health of patients with chronic diseases by providing treatment on time.
mHealth (mobile health) plays an important role to reduce in-person visits that further helps in breaking the chain of infection.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR SITE

Who are We?

EduMound is a start-up platform established for young minds aspiring to contribute their skills and knowledge for the growth of the educational fraternity. We are an educational platform that focuses on the co-curricular portfolio development of students.

Stay Connected

Events

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEBSITE!