Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Obesity is a state of positive energy balance which has become a global problem of major current concern. Obesity occurs when calorie intake exceeds energy requirement. Until recently, it was thought confined to the economically advanced western nations. Recent reports indicate that it is an emerging disorder in the resource poor countries as well. It is almost unanimously accepted that this upsurge in the developing countries is as a result of the shift from traditional diet to western diet. Though many strategies are currently employed to control the disorder, the need to return to indigenous diet has only received measured attention. This condition became parallels affluence; increases with rising economic progress. Obesity is important because of the serious health consequences ; mainly metabolic syndrome which may progress to type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, skin disease and cancer. One of the ways of reversing metabolic events that culminate initially in overweight (BMI> 25Kg/m2) and obesity (BMI> 30kg/m2) is a diet based essentially on plant-base foods; fruit and vegetables. This is the original indigenous diet in most developing or resource poor countries. The diseases associated with obesity are very expensive to treat; though abundant in the affluent western nations, they have adequate resources to manage the non- communicable diseases (NCDs) whereas the resource poor countries cannot cope because they have lean and fragile economies. It is therefore expedient to admonish these resource poor countries to return to their indigenous largely plant based diet to avoid the burden of the expense to treat NCDs. The return to this traditional diet may also serve as a template for the global community to manage this spreading pandemic.

Biography

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