Specialists talk about health risks of obesity

On World Obesity Day, Medanta Hospital, in collaboration with the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, organised an event to raise awareness about the health risks of obesity.

Dr Neelam Mohan, Senior Director of Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant at Medanta, said obesity is not merely a cosmetic concern but a serious medical condition that affects multiple organs, including the liver, with long-term consequences. She highlighted that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common consequence of obesity.

“Our recent study, which involved 150 obese children — three-quarters of whom were aged between 12 and 18 years — found fatty liver in 90 per cent of the cases. Moreover, 42 per cent of these children showed elevated liver enzymes. In some cases, liver biopsies revealed significant fibrosis, even in children as young as 10 years old,” she explained.

Dr Sanjay Mittal, vice-chairman of Clinical and Preventive Cardiology, added obesity is often overlooked but significantly increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks, strokes and other complications.