Turkish Gastroenterology Association (TGD) President Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cindoruk stated that obesity is a disease, not a weight problem. Cindoruk said that obesity has become a serious problem that threatens public health.
Emphasizing that obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide and has reached epidemic proportions, Cindoruk said, “Obesity is not a weight problem but a disease. It is a big problem in all of the world, including developed and underdeveloped countries. Unfortunately, Turkey has become competitive with America in terms of obesity frequency, the rates are almost close to each other. Indicating the risk of obesity “According to the mapping, we are also a red flag in America. According to the data, 30 percent of our population is obese.” he said.
Cindoruk noted that obesity is not only an aesthetic concern, but also an important risk factor underlying many serious diseases such as heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, respiratory problems, joint problems and psychological problems.
Explaining that obesity is generally defined as having a body mass index over 30, Cindoruk continued as follows:
“However, obesity is a condition that has serious effects not only on physical appearance but also on health. Obesity causes cancer types such as colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, as well as many negative conditions such as heart diseases, joint problems, depression and social isolation.” .”
Pointing out that obesity can have many different causes, Cindoruk stated that genetic predisposition, wrong eating habits, inactivity, stress and hormonal imbalances are just a few of them.
Cindoruk stated that obesity is a preventable disease and can be controlled with healthy lifestyle changes.
“WESTERN STYLE NUTRITION DISTURBES THE BALANCE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM”
Congress President Prof. Dr. Aykut Ferhat Çelik pointed out that inflammatory bowel diseases are increasing.
Underlining that the cause of this disease is not known exactly, but genetic and environmental factors play a role in its formation, Çelik said, “Environmental factors are triggers. There are now too many toxins in the environment, toxins and microplastics have spread as far as Antarctica, and they are inevitably ingested in everything. The body “Since it sees these as different antigens, it shows reactive behavior and these toxins also damage the beneficial flora in the intestines.” made his assessment.
Stating that a significant increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases has been observed in Turkey, Çelik stated that the modern lifestyle brings with it important risk factors that cause the disease to be triggered in individuals with a genetic predisposition.
Çelik said, “Environmental factors such as Western-style nutrition, highly processed foods, exposure to industrial pollution and toxins, smoking, and chronic stress can disrupt the balance of the immune system and affect both the emergence and severity of the disease.” he said.
Noting that the disease manifests itself with symptoms such as abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, bloody stools, weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss, Çelik emphasized that it can lead to serious complications if left untreated.
Prof. Dr. Şebnem Gürsoy also stated that colon cancer is one of the rare cancers that can be detected and prevented in advance, and noted that colon cancer is the most common type of cancer after lung and prostate cancer in men, and lung and breast cancer in women.
AA