The Indian government should declare a Pigouvian health tax on junk food.
Obesity: excessive body fat is not only a cosmetic concern; This is a major cause of serious health problems with a reduction in productivity and financial consequences for the individual, the community and the nation. This is why PM Modis has launched an anti-obesity campaign in its monthly radio broadcast and on social networks. A combination of factors such as genetics, food frenzy of foods transformed into calories and a sedentary lifestyle with inadequate stress and sleep, steroid drugs and inadequate thyroxine levels cause obesity. Obesity health risks include rapid aging, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, brain vascular accidents (paralysis), certain cancers, respiratory problems (obstructive sleep apnea), worn joints (osteoarthrosis), fatty hepatic diseases, diseases of biliary vesicule mental health problems. Reduced mobility and difficulty maintaining personal hygiene are other problems. Soon, insurance companies, airlines and other facilities will penalize obesity.
Sedentary lifestyle: prolonged plate and insufficient physical activity (PA) is a main cause of many non -transmitted diseases and deaths. Exercise Surveys on vital signs (EV) have 2 questions to assess the AP: (1) the average number of days / week. The respondent engages in a moderate in Intense PA and (2) the minutes / day when the respondent engages in such activities. The working group of Lancet’s physical activities validated it. Monitoring seven primary vital signs, heart rate, respiratory frequency, blood pressure, body temperature, blood oxygen, body weight and blood sugar (sugar) can assess your overall well-being or disease and monitor recovery. The heart beats faster and stronger to increase cardiac flow and maintain blood pressure to provide blood rich in oxygen to your brain and other vital organs during exercise. Vital signs can improve with the reduction and exercise of body fat. The exercise also reduces stress and improves the quality of sleep.
Types of exercise: jargon such as pilates, training at high intensity intervals (HIIT), functional training, circuit training, burpees, etc. Discourage people from the exercise. There are three types of exercises. Stretching exercises like yoga improve flexibility and agility. Mobility and endurance improvement exercises (aerobic or cardio) such as fast walking, running, swimming, cycling, dance, jumping rope, climbing steps and sports. At least 150 minutes per week of such a moderate activity is desirable to stay in shape. Strength or resistance training exercises involve body weight or external weights to strengthen bones and muscles and reduce body fat. Our body effectively allocates resources and quickly channels the supplies of the muscles or parts of the brain or the body that are not used. It is therefore important to use all the essential parts of our body.
Processed foods: Food transformation eliminates fibers and decomposes complex carbohydrates, increasing the speed of the increase in blood sugar (high glycemic index), destroys nutrients such as B and C vitamins which are sensitive to heat (cooking), modifies essential minerals in absorbable organic form. The addition of excessive salt and saturated fat harms more to the consumer. What can be digested raw is the natural diet of any animal in the wild. The ruminants feed on grass and leaves, birds have a gizzard to digest whole cereals and seeds. Carnivores have evolved to feed on raw meat. Porks and vultures can manage rotten food. Just as we take care to fill the essence in petrol vehicles; No diesel, kerosene or aviation fuel, we must check what we put in our mouth.
Excess food: excess food is bad as excessive water or any excess in life. Sweet and fatty foods (unwanted) allow you to consume many more calories than you can use. The excess of stored calories because body fat disrupt your hormonal balance, your metabolism and your storage mechanisms, leading to serious health problems already stated. Sugar cane is difficult to consume. Its juice is easier to consume. Vast amounts of calories can be consumed once it is transformed into jagré and further in refined sugar. Fat and alcohol are also rich in calories. Chewing food is important for dental and oral health. It also slows down food intake giving our satiety center to remove our appetite. The processed and too cooked foods do not need to chew or many calories or efforts to digest it. Water has no calories, but many calories are consumed to warm it up at body temperature, absorb it, transport it in the body and finally get rid of it with soluble body waste.
Extreme, Fad Diet: Atkins, South Beach, ketogenic, raw paleo (supposed raw meat of a ancestor-cueiller of the paleolithic period), zone, dukan, 5: 2 (intermittent fast), sugar-starch (carbohydrates) free and single dridiums (one fruit or vegetables), the combination of dishes (Eg. are unbalanced and dangerous, and weight loss is not durable. Simple and highly processed carbohydrates (high glycemic food) which suddenly increases blood sugar.
Pigouvian tax on junk food: the Pigouvian tax, named after the British economist Arthur C. Pigou, discourages unwanted behavior, encourages economic efficiency and generates additional income which can be used to counter the negative effects of the tax objective. Malbus is much cheaper than healthy foods and therefore obesity also affects the poor. The WHO reported that the Tobacco tobacco tax had reduced cigarette imports by more than 60%. Pigouvian or a punitive tax on alcohol, tobacco and junk food can be used to discourage driving with weakened faculties, smoking; And the consumption of processed foods rich in calories, sweet, salty, fries and nutritional fruits. These income must be used for public health and education. All forms of advertising and attraction, especially children, to consume unhealthy foods should be unequivocal.
Good intestinal microbes: intestinal microbiota or microbiome or flora are microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses), which reside in our intestine. The intestinal flora differs from one animal to another depending on the type of food and digestive system. Intestinal bacteria help digest complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. They also produce or help synthesize significant nutrients such as short -chain chain fatty acids (B1, B9, B12 and K). They help regulate blood sugar and our immune system and protect themselves from invasion by harmful microbes. They can affect our emotions and sensory perceptions. Many studies have indicated that the consumption of animal products, especially red and white meat, can poorly modify our intestinal microbiome. Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha; And probiotics (alive microbes supplements) add bacteria beneficial to our intestinal flora. Probiotics are useful for preventing diarrhea associated with antibiotics, necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis in premature infants; For the treatment of infant colic, periodontal diseases and ulcerative colitis. Prebiotics are non-digestable food components that selectively stimulate the growth or activity of desirable microorganisms. Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. A healthy diet promotes healthier intestinal flora. Healthy intestinal flora can reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Prevention, in particular infantile obesity and the correction of obesity, is better obtained with a balanced, healthy and nutritious diet, adequate water and physical activity or exercise instead of using extreme diets, reductive drugs or bariatric surgery. Health and wealth need self -control and motivation.
* Dr. Psvenkatesh Rao is endocrine consultant, surgeon and laparoscopic, Bengaluru.