India Raised Alarms: After Diabetes And High Blood Pressure, The Rise In Obesity In India

Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, two major lifestyle diseases, are still on the increase in India, but the country is becoming increasingly concerned about the prevalence of obesity.

The rise in obesity coincides with millions of Indians abandoning their traditional home-cooked diets in favour of manufactured foods that are greasy, cheesy, and oily as well as beverages that are high in sugar.

Due to its link to chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various malignancies, obesity is a major health concern, even in middle-income and low-income countries.

According to a recent study that was published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, the incidence of overweight and obesity has doubled in India over the past two decades, contributing to a significant rise in the burden of non-communicable diseases.

The report titled “Obesity: Another Ongoing Pandemic” said that even while India has made great strides in delivering primary and preventive healthcare to its inhabitants, it has not acknowledged obesity as a significant healthcare concern that needs to be addressed.

The study emphasised that the objective of public health organisations should be to achieve a healthy weight at the community level in order to potentially prevent negative outcomes for infectious and non-communicable diseases. Obesity was also cited as a modifiable risk factor of Covid-19.

According to data from the 2016–2021 National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 5% of Indians are morbidly obese (severely obese), making up around 20% of the country’s total obese population. Moreover, a significant rise in childhood obesity was found.

An estimated 135 million individuals in India are fat. Health professionals attribute one of the major causes of India’s obesity epidemic to changes in eating behaviours.

In India, children’s diets are becoming more westernised and reliant on processed and quick foods.

According to experts, these foods usually include significant amounts of calories, sugar, and fat that can lead to weight gain and obesity.

Dr. Kishore B. Reddy, the managing director of Hyderabad’s Amor Hospital, claims that the modernization and urbanisation of our communities have had an unintended impact on our way of life.

“We observe an increase in the consumption of foods high in calories and fat, but a large decline in physical activity. People are gaining weight as a result of this, which has serious cost ramifications. Obesity people and their families frequently spend more on essentials like transportation as well as healthcare, according to Dr. Reddy.

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