<p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Lifestyle is generally considered a personal issue however, lifestyles are social practices and lifestyles adopted by individuals reflect personal, group and socio-economic identities. It is commonly said that “Your genetics load the gun.&nbsp;</b></span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Your lifestyle pulls the trigger” and since the last decade, human beings have embraced certain habits which lead to these newer disorders called “lifestyle disorders”, which are also known as Non-Communicable Diseases or NCDs.</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 61 percent of all deaths -- 35 million -- and 49 percent of the global disease burden were attributable to NCD. By 2030, the proportion of global deaths from chronic diseases is expected to increase to 70 percent and the global burden of disease to 56 percent.</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">In India, the ICMR decided to set up National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), Bengaluru, in 2011 with the purpose of collection, analysis and reporting of etiological, clinical, epidemiological and public health of NCDs – cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and other determinants. In 2017, India witnessed 61.8 percent of deaths due to non-communicable conditions.</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Causes of lifestyle disorders or non-communicable diseases:</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">NCDs majorly refer to cancers, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke, mental health and others. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Ajay Phadke, MD in Pathology - Head at SRL Dr Avinash Phadke Labs, revealed that NCDs are together governed by a cluster of risk factors like</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>1. Non-Modifiable factors</b></span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Age</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Gender and Race</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Genetics reasons to overweight &amp; obesity,</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Physiological and metabolic causes</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>2. Modifiable factors</b></span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Environment- pollution (air, water and soil)</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">· Four main Behavioral causes- a) Tobacco b) Alcohol use, c) Lack of physical activity, d) Unhealthy Diet and food intake</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>· Stress, Disturbed biological clock (weird sleeping habits)</b></span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">He shared, “One of the most common problems associated with multiple disorders today is Obesity. A simple calculation of one’s body mass index or BMI can tell a lot about your obesity levels. If the BMI is higher than 25, a person falls under the obese category.&nbsp;</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Obesity can be attributed to unrelated causes like rapid unplanned urbanization, globalization of unhealthy lifestyles, and population aging, fueled by unhealthy eating habits, stressful lifestyles and mainly due to reduced physical activity. Through obesity, a person is likely to suffer from issues such as breathing, blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.” HT</span><br></p><p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">bnbd24/kh</span><br></p>