Shed the Extra Fat!

The numbers of obesity cases in Bahrain are alarmingly bulging: 20-25 % of the people in Bahrain, particularly women, are considered obese defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. The rising obesity problem stems largely from poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and sedentary lifestyles.

Although obesity has genetic determinants, the increasing prevalence of obesity in Bahrain suggests a significant relationship between obesity and physical inactivity, according to studies on the prevalence of obesity in the Middle East.

People need to be aware about the many serious medical complications in being obese. Obesity often leads to a host of diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, respiratory diseases, arthritis, even infertility. Diabetes is killing patients, yet people seem to care less. We need to go back to the basics of eating the right kind of food and exercise. Current diets consist a lot of rice and fast food, but very few contain the required amount of vegetables every day.

Obesity is commonly measured by using the BMI calculator, which gauges body fat taking into account a person’s height and weight. 

A person with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. Severe obesity is defined as having a BMI of 40 or more for which surgery is recommended.

Obesity Surgery

Surgery is a treatment option as a method of losing the extra fat. Surgery is a well-established method of long-term weight control for persons with severe obesity.

Obesity surgery helps in losing weight by changing the way the body digests and absorbs food. Digestion and absorption begin in the stomach, continue through the small intestine and end in the large intestine, which digests and absorbs what it can and eliminates the rest as waste. Obesity surgery involves making changes to the stomach or the small intestine.

The stomach is made smaller in size with surgery. A section of the stomach is closed to limit the amount of food it can hold and causes the person to feel full.

Through food intake restriction, malabsorption or both, a person can lose weight since less food either goes into the stomach or stays in the small intestine long enough to be digested and absorbed. Currently, obesity surgeries are available at Royal Bahrain Hospital.

Dr. Zaqui Ladha will be joining Royal Bahrain Hospital soon as a Visiting Consultant General & Laparoscopic Surgeon. To book your appointment in advance, call 17246800 or visit www.royalbahrainhospital.com for more information. Please look forward to the second part of this article, out Thursday June 7^th.