According to reports by diet experts in the city, five out of every ten teenagers are obese. It is no surprise if you take a look at the lifestyle of some teenagers in the Capital.
For class X student, Rashi Aggrawal, the day starts with an hour of Internet surfing on the laptop. Somya Das, 15, is “hooked on to Facebook” and spends up to 15 hours a day on surfing. Rahul Singh, 18, consumes two bottles of soft drinks every evening after his bike ride.
It is this unhealthy lifestyle of youngsters in the age group of 14-21 that has become the leading cause of obesity in the city, say health gurus.
“Increased hours of TV viewing, inactivity, no participation in outdoor activities, unhealthy eating and binge drinking habits can make a person obese,” says Dr Sumitra Dutta, a fitness expert and yoga instructor. Dr Rachna Singh, lifestyle expert at Artemis Health Institute says that “addiction to technology” and “the standard Indian mindset of “eating with dollops of ghee in the dal” are the biggest hurdles in dealing with the problem.
Obesity leads to various side effects such as hormonal imbalance, metabolic disorders and high risk of strokes even in an 18 year old. Dr Dutta adds, “Many children also start suffering from behavioural problems such as depression.”
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