Problem of Extremes

Both eating too much and too little are causing health problems. A balanced diet is essential for a healthy lifestyle.

Amarnath K. Menon  August 23, 2013 | UPDATED 16:32 IST

 

A twin burden currently plagues the country, where there is an extraordinary co-existence of under-nutrition and over-nutrition. While one in every three Indians is undernourished, at least one in every six is overfed. Both are improperly nourished.

So while under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain major public health issues, obesity is emerging as a major lifestyle problem which in turn is leading to diabetes and cardiovascular ailments.

The number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases annually is projected to rise from 2.26 million in 1990 to 4.77 million in 2020. Obesity and physical inactivity are important determinants of metabolic abnormalities in urban and rural India, leading to increase in blood pressure, abnormal lipid patterns and enhanced resistance to insulin. The changing metabolic patterns increase the risks of coronary heart disease (chd), stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/balanced-diet-nutrition-health-problems-diabetes-cardiovascular-ailments/1/300961.html