PESHAWAR, Mar 15 :Emerging as a great dilemma, the excessive use of unhealthy food during iftar parties are causing negative effects on health of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nExposing people especially youth and children to various fatal ailments including obesity, piles and stomach disorders, the extreme use of junk and expired food including burger, shawarma, chicken rolls, chips, snacks, burgers besides low fat yogurt and cheese often land its users to doctors\u2019 clinics and hospitals in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
\nLike others, Ehtisham Khan (25), a youth of Wapda Town Nowshera was rushed to doctor clinic after feeling sever pain and swelling due to irritable bowel syndrome and piles mostly caused by an excessive use of junk and unsafe food.<\/p>\n
Helped by his father, Ehtisham\u2019s was immediately shifted to the operation theater where doctor operated him, removing his piles successfully.<\/p>\n
The doctor said that overeating of an expired chickens mostly used in shawarma, chicken rolls, chips, snacks, burgers besides low fat yogurt and cheese, high carbohydrate fatty food alongwith beverages were one of the major causes of this ailment.
\nLike Ehtisham, thousands of college and school students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were exposed to unhealthy junk foods being sold openly outside of the educational institutions, villages and cities\u2019 shops adversely affecting their health.
\nThe visitor would be extremely disappointed to see an abundance of such shops and vendors foods stalls opened at historic Qissa Khwani bazaar, Namak Mandai, Karimpura, Charsadda Road, Faqirabad, Tehkal, Board bazaar, Lateeef Abad, Hayatabad, Warsak Road, Dalazak Road, Chamkani, GT Road, and other localities, which are mostly selling unsafe cuisines and expired foods, thus exposing many young to different diseases including obesity, overweight, piles and stomach disorders.
\nProfessor Dr Malik Riaz, head of the children department at Govt Hospital Pabbi advised people to avoid junk foods in iftar parties for a healthy fast.
\nHe said Pakistan like other countries are confronted to the monster challenge of an overweight, piles and obesity mostly contracted by children and schools students, who are excessively consuming unhygienic and substandard food in shops and vender stalls.<\/p>\n
Declaring obesity, piles and overweight mostly as the fifth leading cause of global death, Dr Riaz said that obesity contributes to about 60-70% deaths besides non-communicable diseases in the world including Pakistan.
\nWhile referring to a WHO report, he said that the number of children and youth aged five to 19 with obesity have increased from 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016 in the world including Pakistan due to consumption of excessive unhealthy junk food during school and college time.
\nTerming obesity a salient killer, he said that about 30 percent of the world population was overweight while 44 percent of the burden of diabetes, 23 percent of heart diseases and seven to 41 percent of certain cancers attributed to being overweight and obesity.
\nPakistan had ranked 10th out of 188 countries with about 50 percent population being overweight or obese, and according to World Obesity Foundation report, about 5.4 million school-aged children in our country would be obese by 2030 if the unchecked open sale and manufacturing of unsafe food including chips and snacks continued with such a high rate in markets in the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.\u201d
\nProfessor Dr Muhammad Naeem, former Chairman, Economics Department, University of Peshawar said that Pakistan with a youth population of about 64% aged 30 years was unfortunately exposed to obesity and overweight due to excessive use of junk foods courtesy to the social media\u2019s publicity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the projection of fast food on social media, the youth, mostly the working class, are tempted to buy burgers and shawarma etc and eat it hurriedly despite checking its quality landing them to hospitals,\u201d he said, adding special legislation required to curb its unchecked sale.
\nDr Malik Riaz while citing the report of Pakistan Health Commission 2018 said that about 11 percent of children in the country were suffering from overweight and more than five percent of obesity while data compiled from different hospitals including Pabbi hospital revealed that 40 percent to 50 percent of children were either overweight or obese that was quite alarming.
\nHe said the health policy makers and healthcare commission of KP need to take prompt measures for its prevention.
\nHe said the lack of attention to children\u2019s food needs, publicity of substandard foods on digital and social media, limited sports events and its unchecked sale at union council and village levels have largely contributed to rise of obesity cases.
\nThe doctors recommended daily exercises and a healthy balanced diet during iftar parties besides sports and home cooked foods and discouraging the sale of substandard shawarma, chicken rolls, potato chips and beverages businesses.
\nThe Spokesman of KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA) told APP that operation against unsafe and substandard food has been accelerated across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nHe said that thousands of litres of counterfeit beverages and adulterated milk were discarded after its detailed examination being not safe for human consumption.
\nThe spokesman said that zero tolerance has been adopted against elements involved in sale and purchase of adulterated and junks food items in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nMobile food testing laboratories were established in all divisional headquarters with latest technology testing\u2019s equipment with an ability to test over 20 food items instantly.
\nThese labs cover a range of food tests, including testing of milk, flour, edible oil, ghee, water, and other food items on the spot. He said the government has planned to establish such labs in all districts of the province.
\nThe authority setup under KP Food Safety Authority Act of 2014 had hired volunteers to monitor food safety and quality, working alongside regular staff in the field for prompt action.
\nKP Food Authority, operating under the province\u2019s Health Department, is the second such regulatory body in the country after Punjab set up its Food Authority in 2011.
\nHe urged people to inform the authority in case of selling expired or substandard food items by the restaurants or hotels during Ramazan so that strict action could be taken against them.
\nThe experts said that great responsibility rested on the Provincial Governments to make special legislation against sale and purchase of the substandard junk foods and take strict action against the junk food mafia for safety of people..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR, Mar 15 :Emerging as a great dilemma, the excessive use of unhealthy food during iftar parties are causing negative effects on health of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Exposing people especially youth and children to various fatal ailments including obesity, piles and stomach disorders, the […]<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":120162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9821],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-health-news"],"yoast_head":"\n