ICMR to draft anti-obesity diet plan for Indians, plan related research

With India facing an obesity crisis, the Centre has tasked the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to come up with an ideal diet for Indians, and the body is expected to submit its recommendations shortly, two officials aware of the matter said.

- Priyanka Sharma

The urgent directive follows alarming findings by Lancet, the British medical journal, that projected a surge in overweight and obese adults in India from 180 million in 2021 to 449 million by 2050, when a third of the country's population will be obese.

This trajectory places India as the country with the highest global burden of obesity after the US and China. Obesity significantly increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart conditions, which in turn takes up healthcare costs and reduces productivity.

As part of the plan, ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition is focusing on "obesity-related health priority research" and "actively tracking the nutritional status of the population", the first official said.