Increasing wealth and lowering health- The Paradox!

Surprising? Not really. Your surrounding environment seems to play an important role in development of obesity and diabetes.
Increased use of household appliances such as a car, a television or a computer in higher income countries was linked to increased sitting time, lower physical activity, obesity and diabetes.
Whether this was true in other countries too was tested by a recent study involving nearly 1,53,996 people from 1,07,599 households.This study was conducted in countries like Canada, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, China, Colombia, Iran, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
The results showed that owning even one household device (Car or TV or computer) was associated with increased chances of obesity and diabetes. The greatest risk was seen with those owning a television followed by those having a car. In some countries, compared to households which do not own any of these appliances, ownership of all three i.e. car, TV and computer resulted in decreased physical activity and increased sitting time along with increased waist circumference.
Some interesting options to reduce sitting time and increase physical activity were also suggested by the study authors:
- Redesign work spaces to include standing desks
-Increase use of staircases by making them attractive
-Conduct small-group meetings while walking
-While seating at desk do some airplane exercises
Go ahead and enjoy the luxuries of Life but make sure you don’t overuse it! So spend less time in front of the TV and computer, use the car less often and you might be well on your way to preventing obesity and diabetes in your household.
Dr. Pradeep Gadge, Consultant Diabetologist, Mumbai cautions “ With increasing wealth, you see a decline in infectious diseases, but lifestyle diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease tend to increase. Also Psycological issues – anxiety, frustration,unhappiness, depression are more common in the rich. They never seem to be happy with what they have “Dr. Bhagirath Raghuraman, Sr. Consultant Interventional Cardiologist & Heart Failure Specialist, Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences sums up the issue very succinctly “The eternal paradox of wealth v/s health is one that every individual goes through in their respective journey’s through life. In the beginning, we are all highly ambitious and grab almost every opportunity that comes our way as we race up the ladder of life in our quest for fame, wealth and recognition. Since this burning desire to climb faster consumes all our time and energy, we forget to slow down and enjoy our life and its precious moments. We forget to spend quality time with those who matter the most to us and above all, we neglect our own health. For those who wake up in time, they are able to slow down the pace of life and regain their health. But, for many, it is too late and often a cardiovascular life threatening even shakes them back into reality.
If we sit back and think over, exercise plays an important role in maintaining our well being. For many, exercise is a bugbear that they have to go through and it becomes the most hated and postponed event of the day. The common excuse for not exercising is the lack of time for it. But frankly, it just takes smarter time management and a few changes in our daily routine to incorporate exercise into our lives. Some simple exercise tips are:
While at home before going to work:
1.A brisk 5-10min walk in the early morning while buying the daily newspaper, milk or taking your dog for a walk.
2.A brief work out on the treadmill or stationary cycle while watching the news headlines.
3.Join your children for one or two games as they play in the evenings. This encourages them and is good for you.
When you are forced to wait:
1.Take a small walk when your child is in the tuition class or while they are learning music and dance
2.Walk around while waiting for your child to finish a game.
At your work place:
1.Walk or cycle to work. Climb stairs wherever possible and avoid using escalators and elevators. This is a great way to stay in shape.
2.If you have to eat outside, walk to the restaurant.
3.If you have a meeting elsewhere or in another block, leave a little early and walk to that place if feasible.
4.Do leg exercises when sitting for longer periods. Simple exercise with your feet are most often enough. They improve venous return to your heart and exercise your calf muscles.
While watching television at home:
1.Dance or jog to the beat of music in a music channel. Follow an exercise programme on TV or even a yoga work out.
2.Do leg exercises as you watch the news.
3.Avoid using the remote control. Walk up to the television to change the channel or change the volume setting.
While travelling and on the move:
1.Put on your sports shoes and use the gymnasium in the hotel. Most hotel packages offer this as complimentary service.
2.Swimming is a great way to exercise.
3.On flights, walk up and down the aisle or perform calf stretches.
As you can see, it does not take a huge effort to exercise. Make that change today before life forces you to make that change! Dr. V. Surya Prakasa Rao, Head of Department - Cardiology Division, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad observes that " Our Forefathers and grandmothers in rural areas used to spend in agriculture and household activities for long hours and we see them healthy and active even in eighties.
The alarming growth of urbanization made us forget the era of ploughing fields witha bullock cart. In today’s modern education, children choose Computer consoles than Open playgrounds. He offers some suggestion to improve the overall health of the Society:
•Walking/cycling to work place
•Open gym, centres
•Gym centres at work place
•Long chatting on mobile should be avoided as it makes them sit at one place.
•We should have a balanced equation between Modernization and traditional work habits.
Dr. K. Jayanthi, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, SRM Institutes for Medical Science, Vadapalani says “I agree with the findings of the above study. In our clinical practice too, we see many patients developing cardiovascular disease related to mainly decreased physical activity. It is important for every individual to be in good cardiovascular health by being physically active.
Home and workplace activity such as using the staircase instead of lifts and not sitting all the time in front of the TV or computer is emphasised.” Dr. Soura Mookherjee, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology, Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata summarises “ The blessings of science are to make life faster and more comfortable. But it is time to realise that cars, escalators and lifts cut down our walking and getting glued to TV and computers cuts down our physical activity. There are still many people who pump tubewells and pour buckets of water their heads for bathing while most of us relax under showers to make bathing almost a zero calories activity. The price we pay for this life of "LE DOLCE VITA" is Obesity & Diabetes. Let us use the comforts offered by modern science sparingly and burn down our calories at every opportunity so that wealth & health do not become enemies.”
Dr. Rajeev Garg, Cardiologist, Yashoda Hospital:
1.On TMT: Perform 5 sets of one minute exertion period and one minute recovery. Exertion period is performed at high intensity or high resistance level while the recovery period is performed at low intensity or low resistance level. This stage of cardio will:
A)Build both strength & capacity in your heart & lung.
B)Dramatically increase your energy level.
C)Burn fat like never before.
D)Develops a powerful & disease resistant immune system.
E)Avoid heart attack & cardiovascular disease.
2.Two types of regimes:
A)Long Slow Distance (LSD) training otherwise known as low intensity aerobic exercise.
B)Short high intense workout can have similar physiological changes compared to longer low-intense workout.
3.Way to fire up cardio workout:
A)Go the Distance: Set the target like half mile, one mile etc.
B)Do the Time: Tabata Protocol; this forms high intense workout followed by low intense workout , begin with 10sec hard & 20sec easy& reverse the trend every week by 5 second so that at end of week 6 you have 20 sec hard & 10 sec easy.
Dr. Bhaskar Harshe, Diabetologist, Pune
Increasing Health and Lowering Health-The Paradox
1.Show definite risk reduction in development of obesity and diabetes.
2.Do suitable and enjoyable exercise daily for at least 20-25 minutes/day or 150 minutes/week.
3.To behave as an non-affordable individual may be the key of healthy life.
With contributions from:
Dr. Bhaskar Harshe, Diabetologist, Pune.
Dr. Bhagirath Raghuraman, Sr. Consultant Interventional Cardiologist & Heart Failure Specialist, Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Bangalore.
Dr. K. Jayanthi, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, SRM Institutes for Medical Science, Vadapalani.
Dr. Pradeep Gadge, Consultant Diabetologist, Mumbai.
Dr. Rajeev Garg, Cardiologist, Yashoda Hospital, Hyderabad.
Dr. Soura Mookherjee, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology, Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata.
Dr. V. Surya Prakasa Rao, Head of Department - Cardiology Division, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the Doctors are their independent professional judgement and we do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of their views. This should not be considered as an substitute for Physician's advice. Please consult your treating Physician for more details.