ent through Exercise & Yoga

Managern 189
\v,,ght IMPACT OF DIET ON OBESITY
Divya Singh
.. Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry Of Ayush Govt ,, 1 d. N
,~fo,arJ' Delhi ' . oJ n uz, ew

Jbstract:~rv is a lifestyle disorder in which body gets excess oFfiat . h

0besi•., 'J accumu 1atwn t at has
e«ect on health. People are generally considered as obese ~vhen their BM/ (b d
idrerse JJ' Ob . . . L o Y
~ass index) of about 40. esity '~ m_am y cause due to ba_d lifestyle, imbalance of diet and
nurririon. high amount_o( calorie _intake, lack of. physical exercise, genetics, medical
ons like hypothyrmdzsm, Cushmgsyndrome, diabetes, epilepsyetc. Complications of
reas ·ry areosteoarthritis, sleepapnea, breathlessness, coronary hean diseases etc•
obes1 . . . . .
, BaJance diet, exercise, medicatwn, surgery are options to treat this lifestyle disorder. Out
o/afL balanced diet is the eas!est a~d cost-effe~t~ve method to treat obesity. It is safest and
,, sustainable way to cure obesity. Diet and nutrition is a major factor of obesity. Choosing
healthier food (mitahara), periodic fasting, fruit diet (Phalahar) intake, avoiding non-
~- conducive foods (apathya). A healthy life style, specific diet and nutrition will stimulate
t:. auto immune system of body as a result of that reduce the complication of obesity state and
,heir complications because although diet and nutrition balance has been more of a
protective techniques for obesity. Keywords:-Ahara, Mitahara, Pathya, Apathya
·- lntroduction:-
Obesity is a life style disorder defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that
.. presents a risk to health. A crude population measure of obesity is the body mass index
(BM!), a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of his or her height (in
,,,,
meters). A person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. A person with
.,. aBMI equaJ to or more than 25 is considered overweight.
The definition of obesity varies depending on what one reads. In general, overweight and
obesity indicate a weight greater than what is healthy. Obesity is a chronic condition
defi~ed by an excess amount of body fat. A certain amount of body fat is necessary for
Slonng energy, heat insulation, shock absorption, and other functions.[ 1l

CaUses of obesity:-
Obesit · . ·
If y is generally caused by eating too much and moving too httle.
d but do not bum off the
e
Youcons
ume h"tgh amounts of energy particularly fat an sugars,
nergy thr ' 1 gy will be stored
by the ough exercise and physical activity, much of the surp us ener
bo<Jy as fat.
Weioht Management through Exercise & Yoga 190
0

1. Calories .
·s measured in units called cal ones. The average physic a11 y activ
The energy val ue o f food i . . .
and the e
calories a day to maintain a healthy weight,
man nee d s ab out 2 ,500 . avera
physicall y active woman needs about 2,000 calories a d~y. This amount of calories rn!e
sound high, but it can be easy to reach if you eat certain types of food. For example :~
Eating a full pizza.

2. Poor diet
Obesity does not happen overnight . It develops gradually over time, as a result of poor diet
and lifestyle choices, such as:
• eating large amounts of processed or fast food - that's high in fat and sugar
• drinking too much alcohol - alcohol contains a lot of calories, and people who drink
heavily are often overweig ht
• eating out a lot - you may be tempted to also have a starter or dessert in a restaurant,
and the food can be higher in fat and sugar
5. M
• eating larger portions than you need - you may be encourag ed to eat too much if
msome
your friends or relatives are also eating large portions
include:
• drinking too many sugary drinks - including soft drinks and fruit juice
• comfort eating - if you have low self-estee m or feel depressed , you may eat to make
* ar
pl
yourself feel better
• Unhealth y eating habits tend to run in families. You may learn bad eating habits *C
h1
from your parents when you're young and continue them into adulthood .
However
• Eating lots of saturated fat can raise your cholester ol and increase your risk of heart
disease. Saturated fat is found in:butter, ghee, suet, lard, coconut oil and palm oil ~s of :
,cakes ,biscuits etc. DJedicati
3. Lack of physical activity mtludin,I
Lack of physical activity • Many peopIe have
is another important factor related to o besity. Weight !
. . . .
Jobs that mvolve s1ttmg at a desk for . cars, rat her
most of the day · The Y a1so re1y on their 6, (
. . .
than walking or cyclmg. For relaxation, many people tend to watc h T V , browse the .mternet lhegasl
or play computer games, and rarely take regular exercise ·If you ,re not active enouah, you lbown t
. O
do not use the energy provided by the food you eat' and th e extra energy sume 1s
.
~ntu~
stored by the body as fat. you con
tslabUs
4. Genetics
lhrcun
Obesity can occur due rare genetic symptoms like the "P d . .
"L . lSyndrome"etc there's no reason rawher-w1lh Syn d rome "(PWS)[2] ' lrid ~v
aurence-Moon-B1ed
weight. Y mo5t people cannot Jose ~is
lntiiyid
~Ptin
 \

t through Exercise & Yoga

emen
. pt tvfllflllg . . . . . 191
l\ _ 'v-.;e1g that certain genetic traits mhented from you
i ' t:J1.le • .
, ~\ aY t,e make losmg weight more difficult butr parents .
- such as h .
. avmg a large
i c-, < II flletite - rnaY ' lt certamly does not make it
1\-.~\.·1 ~pP ible, . d .h
vr _ , ·fflposs obesity 1s more to o wit environmental fa t
11
\ '- t JllanY ca~es, h'Idhood. c ors, such as poor eating habits
,. Jo ed durtng c t . .
1eafl1 illisyndrorne:-A gen~t1_c disorder that causes obesity, intellectual di ..
praderW . height.Prader-W ilh syndrome is a genetic disord 11 sab1hty and
ess in er usua y caused by d 1 t'
ltor snorWart of chromosome 15 passed down by the father. e e ion
~\ ofaP e-:Moon syndrome (LNMS) is a genetic condition that re lt .
, ~urenc th f-.i: su s m a complex
Su v- . . n of problems at a 1ect several different body part p .
g~ ssoc1at10 . . . s. eop1e with LNMS may
ll a d'fficulties with functions of the brain, eyes ears stomach kid h
e%. nave 1 ' ' , neys, ands and feet.
\
fbeY often also demonstrate . .
a tendency to short stature and obesity B
.. . . . f h
. ecause o t e many
a~ coillPli·cations seen in this condition, It Is important that the pat1·ent h as a strong,
·-t, ehensive health care team.
coillPr
l(I:)
~ 5. Medical reasons
In some cases, underlying medical conditions may contribute to weight gain. These
include:
* an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidis m) - where your thyroid gland does not
produce enough hormones
:atin,i,
I~ * Cushing's syndrome - a rare disorder that causes the over-production of steroid
id. hormones
riMt However, if conditions such as these are properly diagnosed and treated, they should pose
mo~ less of a barrier to weight loss. Certain medicines, including some corticosteroids,
medications for epilepsy and diabetes, and some medications used to treat mental illness -
including antidepressants and medicines for schizophrenia - can contribute to weight gain.
~'fl; Weight gain can sometimes be a side effect of stopping smoking.
cEfi.r: 6. Ghrelin
~~ The gastrointestinal tract is actively involved in regulation of meal size. Hunger has been
.1 , shown to be proportionate to the strength of contraction of stomach as early as about a
noU:-
century ago by Cannnon, [6] who also gave us the the term 'hunger pangs'.Now it is well
fO:tv
eS tablished that the stomach secretes a peptide called 'ghrelin' in the fasting state. Injected
ghrelin causes hunger. In the filled state of the stomach the stretch receptors get activat~d
and_g_ive rise to a sensation of satiety. Also, intake of food inhibits the release_ of ghrelme.
·1fi ' ~ . s 18 the mechanism that is somewhat defective in persons who develop obesity. Inb 0
es
I· Indivictuals 1~00d failed . . . S
to supreme ghrehn seceret10n • ensa on ti of being fullness and
emptiness of stomach is carried to the brain via two vagi.
 ernent throug h Exerci se & yoga
. hi ~anag
\ve•S Thickness: 193
. folds d' . .
5"10 .
of the a 1pose tissue , which is 1Ying in subc
[11ickne55 . utaneous layer is
fhC d thickness. The four most comm only site used f . ' measured b
. fol or skin fold meas Y
s~1n Triceps, sub scapu lar and suprai liac Th urement are
. cps, . . · e method is · but r .
51c d bserver and IS not applic able to very obes people wh inexpe nsive
. e . ' equ1res a
:Jlc o r.This is . ose skin folds would
skl (he jaws of the measu nng calipe . not fit
!)e,ween not a reliable method f .
or estuna tmg intra-
abdorllinal fat.

(\! • • al Featu res of Obes ity

',) ICJtJJJC sympt oms th . .
-~ i uowing are the most comm on . at md1cate an dO l .
'}be o . ' 1s suffic ient to . a escent 1s obese
ver the patien ts appea rance amve at a dia · · ·
}Iowe • ct· gno s is m most cases
..,,,ined by the perso ns BMI (body mass index ) depen mg on weight h . ,
dete11,... . to eight, though
h adolescent may expen ence symp toms differ ently S
eac od fr . ymptoms may include -
• Large b y ame
• Difficulty in doing daily activi ties
• Lethargy
ti,~
• Breathlessness
• Dispr oporti onate facial featur es
• Breast region adipo sity - (sagg ing fat cells) in boys
• Big belly (abdo men), some times marke d with white or purple blemishes
• Male extern al genita lia may appea r dispro portio nately small
• Flabby fat in the upper arms and thighs
• Knock -knee s

Health risks associated with obesi ty

it is a risk factor
Obesity is not just a cosm etic consi derat ion; it is harmf ul to one's health as
8
y
~ for many condi tions. In the Unite d State s, rough ly 112,000 deaths per year are directl
over 30. Patients
·: related to obesity, and most of these death s are in patien ts with a BMI
risk of
with a BMI over 40 have a reduc ed life expec tancy . Obesi ty also increases the
developing a numb er of chron ic disea ses, includ ing the follow ing:
us): It is not
• Diabetes Melli tus-(N IDDM , Non- insuli n depen dent diabe tes mellit
t obesity is
unusual to see an obese perso n becom ing a diabet ic. To some exten
always assoc iated with insul in resist ance- lack of effect ivene ss of insuli
n, the blood

sugar lower ing horm one.

• High blood press ure (hype rtens ion).
• Heart attack .

ffl
 t through Exercise & Yoga 194
Weight Managernen
. heart failure
• Congesuve
• Cancer. ..
• Gout and gouty arthntlS
• Back problem . rth ·tis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back
__.l,..;tis (degener ative a n
• Osteoai uu •
• Sleep apnea.
. ( rding to yoga, ayurve da and naturop athY)
·t through diet acco
Management of ob esi Y h lthcare plan. food is regarde d as medicine at rn
. t mponen t of a ea .mportan t compon ent of d'1sease managernan
Diet is an 1mportan co
d . ·
.
Diet (Aahar) 1s an 1
regarde d as a medicin e 1
e
.Diel .
fl
systems of me 1cmeh· ·mportant to health, that it is often
.
Right food 1s so muc
1 . t ingle factor respons ible for. health and also
1
~
. . d as one importan s
now bemg recognize . M cam·son 'the right kind of food 1s the most impon
. d · tO Sir Robert c ' .
d1sease2. Accor mg . f h Ith· and the wrong kind of food 1s the most import
single factor in the promot10 n o ~a ' '
single factor in the promotion of disease 2.

Classification of food . . . .
. .fi • found in regard to food items m vanous systems of medicine·
Various class1 1cat10ns are
Some of these concepts in brief are as under:

I. Concept of diet in modern medicin e

1n modem medicine food items are classifie d in terms of carbohy drates, fat, prate'
vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy . Fats or lipids
are the concentrated form of energy in the food. Proteins are structur al constituents to cell F
membranes. Vitamins and minerals are accesso ry nutrient s, and water is an ideal vehic1e C

for transporting dissolved nutrients and waste from the body. To remain healthy , this is
important to have a balance of all these essentia l compon ents in the diet.
II. Concept of diet in Ayurve da
• In Ayurveda diet is given extreme importa nce. Accord ing to Ayurve da, the diet
should be simple, easily digestible, and small in quantity . n Ayurved a, obese
persons are included under AstaNin ditapur usha(A thiDeer ga, AthiHraswa,
AthiStoola, AthiKrusha, AthiGou ra, AthiSw eta, Athi Roma and Aroma) .
• ~a tbya is referred to the Ahara and Vihara, which causes pacification of the
disease. Example:-milk product s, fatty foods, meat, fish, day sleep etc.
d
• Apalbya is re~erred to the Ahara and Vihara, which causes complications ao
. te,
aggravate the disease Example ..-d ry f 00d , green gram,h ot water,h oney,fasung
· e

e a s: az
 . _Management through Exercise & yoga
, ,.1ghl
'l.~ ~
'µ Ayurveda, further emphasizes that diet . 195
' • · • . ary cons1dcrati ·
:•. of every prescnpt10n m Ayurvedic th on is an imponant co
erapy. Sometim ct· mponent
is a complete treatment. According to A h . es, ietary management itself
· l d
given map anne way then a separate mc d"arya .
Lohmbar · ·
aJa, if wholesome diet is
. • e icmal treat
the diet itself can take care of the disea s· . .ment may not be required as
se. 1m1larly if h
permitted, then also treatment is not re . d unw olesome diet is being
quire as the di ·
in that case3 sease 1s not going to be cured
III. Concept of diet in Yoga
Shrimat Bhagavad gita defines they 1. ct·
og c 1et as under:
'iih181d481U4 <{"fi,le!Fq ~ I
~1if4~jqGfl~RI <UlTI' ~ <i:mf II ~\9 11

. who is regulated in his habits of eating sleeping .

• , recreation and work can · ·
1terial pains by practicing the yoga. mitigate a 11
.7 TheBhagavadgita also classifies food as Sattvik R · ·k .
Ir,· . • aJasi and Tamas1k. It has
(~.,cidated the three categones of food and its effect on human bod . d · d T
y an mm . hese are
fined as follows:

1. Sattvik food

~:th·qcifeilij 3 ~~<<Nlfa~q~;u: I
~: ~ : ~ lffl ~ : 81fi.qcfi~<il: II 1:; 11

Foods dears to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify
one's existenceand give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are
juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart. (17.8).Those foods which are
fresh, whole, natural, of good quality yet mild, neither over nor undercooked are
experienced as lending a calm alertness and at the same time a state of quiet energy.
Such foods are called sattvic.

Rajasik food
ifi<tcf¥{1R>;cfuIIc~6uiM ~lt fcta:1 ~ -i : I
31161(1 <l.iil8f4!i ~:lq~Ticf;lft4Std,I: II ' II
Foods that are too bitter too sour, salty, hot, pungen t, dry and burning are dear to
' · ery and disease. 17. 9
those in the passion. Such foods cause d"1stress, mis . .
. . eal that which stimu 1ates
Food which is cooked a great deal to increase its taS te app ·
 V
I

. & Yoga
h Exercise .
1ent throug
weig ht
Mnn:u1.en ds up 111etabolism and. actlvates is callect r . l9G
- ystem,spee e usually con side red rajasic. aJasic. S
th nervous[fee,
e s , and tobacco ar
tea , ~ch
food s as co

Tarnasik rood
3.
. · qt a~ ~~ I
~~ c- • ~t4fjl4SI. II ~o II
.
~q fq ~< I ~
~oe than three hours before bei ng eate n, food that .
d prepared more d onsistino of rem 1s ta
Foo s ·d and foo c O nan ts and unt ouc hab le thi . Sleless
decomposed and putn ' ess 17. 10 ngs is d '
. the ear 10'
those in mode of darkn .
. "d d ,, partly spoiled, hav e bee n pro ces sed
f ds which are ea ' a great deal h
Those oo · h no spark of life about them, 1ac k the vita .' ave be
lity off d en
preserved in some w::;ly :::k ed are called tamasic.
alive or has been rec oo that ~
• Easily digestible.
. . .
• Complete1Y fulfil1 s the averaoe
O
nutritional needs of an 1nd 1v1dual, when used in ,
combination. proper
11
• Most ideal diet for those who are engaged in higher A ell
me nta l pursuits. r11-ul1S
Th e Yoo
e
ic concept of food takes into con side rati on the total dimension of human existenc ;11 an
Apart from the atoms and molecules, from which t
our gro ss physical body is made of, we
all possess Prana, mind, intellect, emotions and spiritua
l dimensions. Yoga is that process i;atura
by which we can bring in an integration of the entire
per son alit y at all these levels. The ~ f(
stamina of the body is to be developed, the Pra na sho
uld be flown freely, the mind should ~etth
calm down, the emotions should be stabilized and cult
ured. In totality the bliss should arise f!OPeT
to keep oneself happy and healthy.
A balanced diet according to Yoga
~nch
~
~ -~ ~ ~- ~ -
1qq1~ d.
~sit
II ~ o II
'J.-i4d~fcH1i:sft~fita16R :~M~?.ld
recar
It is
. the diet wh'ic h re st0res balance at all levels. The Yo
gic die t beli eve s in the conceptof ~t ou
Mitahara This po tul
· s ates that the final effect of inta ke of die t depend · o follow1
three factors: s upon the followin=
~rail(
Quality of food: It should be · ~le in
Quantity of food· H sattvik and more akin to the nat ura l from of it.
. d ~edici
the rest one forth · h alf of the stomac h should be fille ·th rqu1d an
d wit h foo d, one forth Wl 1
s ould be empt f h
Stateofmind whil takin· %to~
· Y or t e free flow of air (ga ses ).
rehsh the food a de g food· Wh1"l uid
· e during meals one sho uld be calm and quie · t· sh0
' n not be enga ed . . '
g ma ny form of inte nse thin kin g acuvity. . .

wL&
 ,ent through Exercise & Yogn
~ ~ t:,n:igen
~ ,,·((l!hl • N
'\ , concept of diet 1n aturopathy 197
l' ·. l, to Naturopnthy, accumu lation of waste and , , .
' . ,rdtll:- . th" h
f diseases unsmg w1 m t e human organi, systenuc pois
. . .,
' ,.\ t'\ < • I . ons is the cause of th ,
' ·oritY o
1 . . , . sm. n nnturopu tl c
111:IJ •itino obesity smne of them are explai·ned b 1Y
many methods · ·ire
.-~ for tre• 0 1
e ow:- '
I 1,~cu
. tfheraPY .
()it thel11PY is a process of treat.mg any disease b . .
Dil'l . . th di . . . Y mcludm g curat' & . .
i... . ,e ingredients m e et. Modify ing your diet . t ive avoiding
~. revenn' ...
~ i.. P te optimum health is diet therapy. Wherein our dimt o a much .
more b l
a anced form to
·ti-:_ "i promo e constitu tes 99'¾ off f
~~- need most part of the healthy balanced food to recover & k , o ast ood, our
t l'(}(ly
eep away the diseases.
fasting . . . . .
stinl! is the pracuce of w1lhngly restrammg from some or . fo d d . k
J de I Fa th d f f . '111 o ' rm s or both for a
~~- ,,.,riod of time.Me o s o asung are water, juices or raw vegetabl
V

tv ·, · r- . • . . . .
. .
• 0!1\l't, and most effective method 1s hme JUiee fasting. During fasting tl b d The
e JUtces. best, safest
' b
' , 1e o Y urns up and
t.
:\cretes huge amount s of accumu lated wastes. We can help thi, .
. . . s c1eansmg process by
drinking alkaline Juices.
:n u.,~ t- , Weight Reduction
Awell monitored & systema tized natural diet with lots of vegetables & fmits gives obvious
results of weight loss. It focuses on adequate consumption of water that supports the natural
h\lffiaJ~ diet and helps one to reduce weight faster but in the healthiest way.
iy i1 illij • Proper body functions
1gaiitht Natural food when consum ed fresh or cooked doesn't lose its nutritional value unlike the
the~b:: junk foods that has more of toxicity than nutrient value that gradually affects the system .
.thec i Diet therapy and fasting helps in elimina ting the toxins while retaining cmcial nutrients for
bli~\.\t proper functioning of the body.

Conclusion:-
Obesity is nowadays very commo n disease not only in adults but in growing ch~ldren 's t?o
we can see the symptoms of this disease. There are many treatments for treaung_ obesity
but out of them only diet therapy and exercise are the one which is cost effe~ttve,e~sy
,
;in llt1' followed and sustainable method of treating obesity. Even th0 ug h me d'icme ·
ts
havmg
.
i· th
r:ini!t·· erapeutic effect quantity of medicin e is always less than that Off00d· o 1·et plays a maJor
.
rol · '
e in maintain good health. By its nature of pathya and apathya in different alternativ
f ·
e
llledi . 11
1fi~ cines can become treatme nt for both hea ltl1 and sickness· ..Hence o owmg
..r
rth11iw•·
appr •
opnatepathya,avoiding apathya or by fasung. lead a better hte.
one can

~~;·
j

,i f
Weight Management through Exercise & Yoga

References:O
I) WH - health topic-obesity(2019~ [Internet] Av
ailable form:-
https:/fwww .who.int/topics/obesity/en/.
2) Obesity causes- NHS [lntemet]Available form
:-
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/causes/
3) Laurence-Moon Syndrome. Genetic and Rar
e Diseases Inf .
updated: 6/ I 8/2015. https ://rarediseases.info. nih
moon-syndrome . gov/di ormation Cente
. . Accessed .May 25, 2018 seaseSil2635naurern,,.
. Last JibSfl
4) Yoga and Kriya: By Swa!UI SatyanandaSarasw
ati, Published fhe 1
Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar. 1nwa1
by G. K. Ke · • eve,Y
5) Asa.na, Pranaya . ma,
. Mudra, .Ban . dha - Sw am i Satyan an daSarasw . energ
Shri G._K Keinwal, 8th ed1t1on, 1993.
au, Published b,
'
eve,Y
6) A Medical understanding of yoga- Second Ed ion u1y 2012 b p yoga .
if J ·
a she ,Antarprakash center for yoga
MI - Y rakash c.
Accardi

Health 1
of disea
mental i
which w
2014.

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