Physical Activity and Balanced Diet: Basic Parameters to Prevent Obesity and Serum Cholesterol Elevation

A comparative study of age matched 50 obese and 50 lean adults was undertaken. The blood samples were collected after overnight fast. The diet sampling was done on the spot without prior information over a period of three months. The results showed that mean serum cholesterol level of obese persons was higher than leans. The frequency of its occurrence was high in case of sedentary people. More than 70% adults were not involved in enough physical activity where as 10% were benefited from moderate activity. The physical activity is more pronounced in young persons, decreases with age and is less common among the obeses. The average diet of obeses contained higher percentage of nutrients and calories. Except for fat contents of leans, the other nutrients were present in adequate amounts over RDA in both groups. The data revealed that both the parameters under study, significantly control the serum cholesterol elevation and obesity. The other factors and sources which may cause rise in serum cholesterol level and obesity have been indicated. The adverse effects of physical inactivity and imbalanced nutrition are briefly discussed in perspective of human health.