A Randomized Clinical Study to Evaluate the Comparative Efficacy of Navak Guggulu and Triphala Guggulu in the Management of Sthaulya (Obesity) in Adolescent

Sthaulya(Obesity) is one among the major diseases of modern era. It is considered as santarpan janya vikar (An excessnutritional disorder) in Ayurveda. Sthaulya is caused due to medovriddhiwhichincludes abnormal and excessive accumulation of medadhatu in the body. This is caused by frequent and excessiveintake of madhur and snigdhaaahar , lack of physical andmental exercises. These all results into the increase in kapha dosha and  medodhaturesults in the sthaulya.  It is creating an enormoussocioeconomic and public health burden in poorer countries. At least 2.6 million people each year die as a result of being overweightor obese. According to the W.H.O. overweight and obesity is thefifth leading risk for global deaths. TheInternational Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) and InternationalObesity Task Force (IOTF) estimate that 200 million school children are eitheroverweight or obese. The proportion ofchildren who are overweight and obese has doubled over the past two decades inboth developed and developing countries, including India. Adolescence with its stormy period of rapid growth has itsown peculiar set of physical, mental and psychosocial problems. In India,adolescents constitute about 22% of the total population. With growingrealization of their vital role in the future of the nation and the society, alot of interest is generated of late, in the hitherto untreated area ofadolescent health.

Among physicalchallenges of this age group, obesity is at the top with prevalence of 8 to 15%.Asian and particularly Indian population is proved to begenetically more predisposed to obesity. The long-lasting and direconsequences of obesity, in the form of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemiatogether make the deadly quartet with its high morbidity and mortality. In addition, obesity brings with it many psycho-social consequences such as:Lack of self-esteem, feeling of guilt, shyness, behavioral problems, eatingdisorders, anxiety, depression etc. In practice the treatmentof  obesity in adolescents  can be challenging and frustrating because offrequent relapses. For the purpose of management of obesity, currently thereare two options viz. lifestyle management and pharmacological therapy. Howeverlifestyle change is the main pillar of obesity management but in practice, mostof the times it becomes difficult to achieve the goals of therapy withlifestyle changes alone. Moreover limiting energy intake of growing childrencan result in decreased linear growth velocity in obese children. Dieting couldalso increase prevalence of inadequate nutrients, such as iron, calcium, zincetc. Medical therapeutic options for treatment of obesity are not verypromising and are also associated with serious cardiovascular and othermetabolic side effects.

In the pathology of Sthaulya, Kapha is main Dosha and Meda is main Dushya, while Agnimandyatakes place at Medodhatvagni level. So, the drugs which have Kapha and Medanashaka property possess the efficacy to correct the function ofMedodhatv Agnimandya are supposed to be effective in this condition*.* In NavakaGuggulu and Triphala Guggulumaximum ingredient fulfill these prerequisite properties.