Obesity cure is here?

If you are overweight, it is unlikely that you would have missed the advertising and media coverage around the new obesity medications.

- AMBI PARAMESWARAN

If you are overweight, it is unlikely that you would have missed the advertising and media coverage around the new obesity medications. Efforts are on by global pharma majors to build awareness around obesity and the way it is perceived.

What is obesity and why does it matter? "Overweight" and "obesity" are measured through the body mass index (BMI) — a measure of your weight in relation to your height. What is yours? It is easy to calculate if you know your weight in kilograms and your height in metres [BMI = weight in kg / (height in metres)²]. The medical fraternity has been trying to define or redefine the ideal BMI. The general consensus is that a person is categorised underweight when the BMI is less than 18.5, normal when it is 18.5 to 24.9, overweight at 25 to 29.9, and obese when the BMI is more than 30.

Numerous illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and high blood pressure have been shown to be associated with obesity.

We Indians have had a different perspective around obesity. Our mothers have always obsessed about our weight, but the other way around. "Itne patle ho gaye ho" (you have become so thin!), "Itne duble patle ho, koi bimari to nahi hai?" (you are so thin, hope you are not ill) — many of us have heard these remarks from our mothers and grandmothers.

Growing up in a poor country, being overweight was seen as a sign of prosperity. The rich were fat. The poor were thin. That was the way it was.