WCM-Q webinar discusses link between body weight and health

WCM-Q webinar discusses link between body weight and health

Doha – The Institute for Population Health (IPH) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently held a webinar to discuss ways to reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases associated with being overweight and obese.

The webinar titled, ‘Plain talk about weight loss’ was delivered by Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, professor of population health sciences and vice dean for population health and lifestyle medicine at WCM-Q, and professor of medicine at the Center for Global Health, New York.

According to the World Obesity Atlas, there are currently 770 million people worldwide living with obesity, and by 2030 the number is expected to rise to 1 billion. In Qatar, the obesity prevalence in women and men is likely to be 51 % and 43 % respectively by 2030.

Research shows that people who adopt unhealthy lifestyles such as physical inactivity, eating unhealthy food, smoking, and poor sleep hygiene could experience physiological changes in their bodies that result in weight gain or obesity.

There are many ways that could help a person lose weight, including eating a healthy diet, physical activity, behavior modification, medication, and surgery. Medical management of obesity is patient- centric, and involves using one or more of these approaches.

Dr. Mamtani said: “It has been established that