Coimbatore : Indian women are more likely to be obese than their male counterparts, a leading obesity and bariatric surgeon said Sunday,

There were 20 million obese women in India in 2014 compared with 9.8 million obese men, Gem Hospital and Research Director Dr Praveen Raj, said.

Inaugurating the 4th edition of Obesicon IV 2019, a national conference on the management of obesity–a multi modality approach, organised by the Centre, Praveen Raj said that severe obesity was observed in an additional 4 million Indian women. The country saw a more significant rise in obesity from its19th position for both men and women in 1975 to rankings 5th and 3rd respectively in 2014, reflecting sharp rise in obesity rates among women worldwide, he said.

Obesity is not just a weight issue but a disease and is responsible for serious medical, social, psychological, and economic implications, affecting all ages and groups.

Latest research report showed that obesity increases the risk of many cancers like cancers of the colon and rectum, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, esophagus, gastric cardiac, liver, kidney, ovary, endometrium of the uterus, breast in postmenopausal women, meningioma and multiple myeloma, Praveen Raj said.

About 300 delegates from across India attended the conference, which is focusing on all aspects of treatment of obesity which is useful to dieticians and clinicians.

Being the first of its kind multi-modality approach conference on obesity and its complications, it will also benefit surgeons, physicians, endocrinologists, diabetologists, gynecologists, registered dietitians and professors and teachers from prestigious institutions, Praveen Raj said.