CHANGING TRENDS IN DIET AND LIFESTYLE: A DISEASE IN ITSELF

Lifestyle diseases are our own creation. Most men are unable to resist the work holism, sedentary living environment, , blind pleasure psychosis, suffocating dispositions, exchanging conscience and faith with wealth, consumption-based happiness indices, absence of regular sleep, leisure, socializing, taking metric kilos of junk food, and finally the mad march against indomitable time. The only remedy lies in the fact that, man needs to control his senses, freshen up his common sense to make life more convenient in the long run. The WHO estimates that approximately 2 million deaths every year are attributable to physical inactivity. In the rapidly growing large cities of the developing world, physical inactivity among large parts of the population is assuming alarming proportions. Crowding, poverty, crime, traffic, low air quality, and a lack of parks, sports and recreation facilities, and sidewalks make physical activity a difficult choice. Even in rural areas of developing countries sedentary pastimes, such as watching television, are increasingly popular. Inevitably, the results are increased levels of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. India could incur losses to the tune of $237 billion by 2015 due to a rise in lifestyle diseases like diabetes, stroke and cancer because of unhealthy workplaces, as per WHO report .The economic loss in India, which was $8.7 billion in 2005, is projected to rise to $54 billion in 2015, according to the report Preventing Communicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.