A 14-year-old-girl in class IX in New Delhi had her parents worried. She had a petite 5ft, 1-inch frame and weighed a whopping 74kg. She also had excessive facial hair, acne and irregular periods. She seemed uninterested in playing sports or engaging in extra-curricular activities.
Her parents took her to the doctor and medical investigations revealed that she was clinically obese, and her insulin levels were dangerously high. When the doctor probed further he found that a large portion of the girl�s diet consisted of fried foods and aerated drinks. She was barely exercising. She spent her time outside of school on the computer or in front of the TV. After a detailed investigation by an endocrinologist, dietitian and psychologist, it was decided that she needed to change her diet and get both exercise and behavioural counselling. She and her parents were counselled on the health pitfalls that awaited her if she didn�t lose weight, and on the benefits of exercise. She was encouraged to eat right and to do a minimum of 45 minutes� exercise a day. After six months, her weight was down to 56kg and her Body Mass Index (BMI�a measure of body fat derived from a person�s weight and height) was at a healthy 23. Her insulin levels were back to normal, her facial hair, acne and period irregularity were less severe and the doctor told her everything would be back to normal as long as she maintained her weight. Read More
Sujata Kelkar Shetty, PhD, writes on public health issues and is a research scientist trained at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, US.