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Abstract

Weight loss and fitness are two major concerns for the world irrespective of continent, class and age. Weight-loss in the context of medicine, health or physical fitness refers to a reduction of the total body mass due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and or lean mass. Weight-loss can either occur unintentionally due to an underlying disease or arise from a conscious effort to improve an actual or perceived overweight or obese state. Overweight and obesity are the leading risks for global deaths. Around 3.4 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischemic heart disease burden and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity. More than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older were overweight. Of these overweight adults, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. Overall, more than 10% of the world�s adult population was obese. In 2012, more than 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. Once considered a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in low and middle income countries particularly in urban settings. In developing countries with emerging economies (classified by the World Bank as lower and middle income countries) the rate of increase of childhood overweight and obesity has been more than 30% higher than that of developed countries. Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. For example, 65% of the world�s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kill more people than underweight (this includes all high income and most middle income countries). Obesity affects our families, schools and businesses, and it threatens our economy. Obesity is a health concern, a social dilemma, a personal challenge, an economic burden and a policy issue. The obesity crisis harms some segments of society more than others but this problem crosses all lines of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic class, gender, age and ability. The primary concern related to overweight and obesity is the health risks they pose. The high rates of overweight and obesity in our state and nation cause decreases in life expectancy, productivity and quality of life. Weight-loss and fitness play a major role to address the core problem of overweight and obesity.

Biography

Kola Hemamalini has completed her PG in Food Science and Nutrition from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, AP, India and postgraduate Diploma in Nutrition & Dietetics from Sri Padmavathi University. She has 21 years of experience in teaching and administration. She worked as Lecturer for Food Science & Nutrition in UG programme. She was a former Principal for the NRI Junior, College, Vijayawada and G V R & S Degree & PG College, Guntur. At present she was working as Assistant Professor and Nutritionist in Koneru Lakshmaiah University, Vijayawada, AP, India. And she was pursuing her PhD in Food & Nutritional Sciences from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, AP, India. She attended for about 15 National & International Seminars & Conferences and presented her papers. Recently in Feb 2015 she attended an International Conference on Advances in Food Technology in India

Email: kola.hemamalini@kluniversity.in