DIETARY INTAKE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF STHAULYA W.S.R. TO OBESITY

Dr. Brij Kishor*, Dr. Ankita Thakur, Dr. Akhilesh K. Shrivastva and Prof. Dalip Sharma

ABSTRACT

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. Obesity is a leading but preventable cause of death worldwide. Incidences are increasing in adults and children due to faulty dietary habits including junk foods, lack of physical exercises and sedentary life style. Obesity increases the risk of many diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, depression and hypertension etc. The main treatment for obesity consists of dieting and physical exercise. Dieting includes right choice of food substances which fulfill the energy requirements without increasing the body fat. In Ayurveda, this condition is named as Atisthula or Medo-roga. An extensive description pertaining to Medo-roga and its treatment is available in classical texts. In Ayurveda, treatment for obesity is based on Guru (diet fulfilling energy requirements) and Aptarpana (diet reducing body fat) Chikitsa Siddhanta (treatment modality). The nature, advantages, and disadvantages of the dietary assessment methods are reviewed: 24-hour recall, diet history interview, questionnaire and self-monitoring. When used on an ongoing basis in treatment, self-monitoring enhances weight-loss outcomes. However, compliance with self-monitoring varies widely across patients and over time. Possible methods of increasing compliance are discussed. Recent technological advances in software and hardware systems offer promise in improving compliance and effectiveness of self-monitoring.

Keywords: Atisthula, Medo-roga, Aptarpana Chikitsa Siddhanta, Ayurveda.