Effect of home based exercise regimen in improving body composition and cardiometabolic parameters in young adults with normal weight obesity

Studies have found that there is an increasing prevalence of obesity globally .There is also a similar growing prevalence of obesity in the Indian population . Studies have predicted that the prevalence of overweight will more than double among Indian adults aged 20–69 years between 2010 and 2040, while the prevalence of obesity will triple. And also as a result of which, there will be an increase in the prevalence of lifestyle related disorders such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus affecting not only an increased portion of the population but also a younger demographic. Obesity, which is defined based mainly on the Body mass index ( above range of >25 kg/m2 in the Indian population), has been associated with an increasing association with cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and type II diabetes mellitus. Recent studies have also found that there is a strong association of abdominal adiposity and the complications associated with obesity such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease. However, BMI as a tool does not differentiate between lean body mass and body fat percentage. As a result of which, a portion of the population who have a higher body fat percentage and a higher percentage of visceral fat (therefore associated with greater risks of morbidity and mortality) will not be screened and treated. Normal weight obesity is defined as individuals with normal BMI (that is 18.9kg/m2 to 22.9kg/m2 and overweight under 23.0km/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2) that have an increased body fat percentage. There is a lack of literature on the incidence of normal weight obesity in the Indian population, who, due to their carbohydrate rich diet and increasingly sedentary lifestyle, are more prone to normal weight obesity. There is also a lack of literature on the effects of exercise on the body composition of normal weight obesity individuals. Especially in the young adult population who are more prone to pick up the lifestyle habits. An increased involvement of physical exercise in the lifestyle of these individuals might be associated with reducing the incidence of non communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The use of body fat percentage would also help identify the hidden part of the iceberg, consisting of cases who have a higher risk of suffering from non-communicable diseases that go undetected with an ineffective screening test like BMI.