Consultations for weight gain grew 30% during the pandemic

It was already warned: the isolation last year, with the changes in habits that it implied, had an impact on the body weight of Mendoza and Argentines . Therefore, Nutrition graduates warn that have increased consultations between 15% and 30% with respect to the pre-coronavirus situation.

Argentina had one of the longest quarantines in the world. They were months in which daily activity was drastically reduced , with clubs and gyms closed and in which You couldn’t even go for a walk in a park.

Silvina Rodriguez Blanco, coordinator of the Nutrition Department of the Employees Social Work Públicos de Mendoza (OSEP) , estimated the increase in that proportion. He said that they observe overweight and obesity, that there are new patients, others who were with a plan and relapsed and who had even achieved their weight and returned. In other words, they see regrowth or regain weight of those who already faced excess.

“We always have consultations at the top, 100%, but now we see that affiliates that we did not know are coming and we are with services are quite saturated, “explained Rodriguez Blanco.

He added that the situation has not discriminated ages and there are equally affected:” In children we have a high percentage of overweight and obesity and it has also increased in young adults and older adults. ”

“ Yes, we have seen that increase. We are finishing a paper on the weight gain in university students due to the pandemic ”, said, for his part, the graduate Pablo Mezzatesta, who works at the Juan University Agustín Maza.

He explained that in college students the prepandemic data with respect to the later ones show that the average weight gain was 800 grams and an increase in body mass index of 0.3.

In a study carried out worldwide, Argentina was fifth among the countries with a higher proportion of population than acknowledged having gained weight in the pandemic. Of those consulted in the country, 40% said they were in this situation, 9 points above the global average of 31%. Brazil is the country that was the worst positioned, with 52%.

But they are not comfortable, that is the beginning and what explains the increase in consultations: 49% said they are trying to lose weight and 41% indicated that they are trying to lose weight gained with the pandemic.

In addition, in Argentina, 28% of those consulted said they had decreased physical activity , above the global average of 23%.

It is a work carried out by the consulting firm Ipsos at the end of 2020.

Worldwide, three-quarters of the Respondents reported changes in their weight, exercise, alcohol consumption, or smoking since the pandemic began, and weight gain was seen more widely.

South American countries (for example , Brazil and Chile) are the most likely to say that they have gained weight since the beginning of the pandemic.

Causes

Rodríguez Blanco added that during the worst of last year the teams of the pediatric nutrition network tried to maintain the treatment with telemedicine but they were difficult because people did not have physical activity or had difficulties in accessing food due to shopping problems.

Regarding the latter, the specialist indicated that two things happened during the quarantine. On the one hand, people who were isolated or while they could not go out too much, had difficulties accessing the foods indicated in the food plan; perhaps the most complicated was access to vegetables. The situation led to the consumption of more packaged products that could be stored, such as flour.

But also, and it happened to the vast majority, the prolonged stay at home made even at least a cook venture into the kitchen. It was a way to pass the time and, why not, to share with the cohabitants.

But also, it was used to try and we chose foods that are not usually eaten with the intention of generating a good moment in the confinement.

That is why the graduate highlighted the consequences of having chosen to include so many desserts and caloric foods.

Another element of impact was the sedentary lifestyle . “There are people who spent months in the house, and although they tried to do activity there, it is not the same as normal activity,” said Rodríguez Blanco.

Consequences

Although perhaps it is too early to draw conclusions, we can already see the impact on metabolic disorders that excess weight usually causes.

Some Nutrition graduates consulted by Los Andes agreed that there are more cases of dyslipidemia , a blood lipid disorder, such as increased cholesterol and triglycerides.

Silvina Rodríguez Blanco added the increase in cases of high blood pressure and fatty liver to the list of disorders.

“We also have the problem of sarcopenia; people stayed still, could not do physical activity and the muscular part was weakened, more in older adults ”, pointed out the OSEP specialist.

She accepted that this year the economic part because there are more Committed people In that aspect. “But the truth is that when we educate and organize the family’s diet, they notice that perhaps they were spending more or that they were buying food that was not necessary and is expensive. That is why the consultations are about educating the population and helping them plan food, always within their possibilities ”, highlighted the professional consulted.