When lifestyle became a common risk factor

WHEN I look back at my clinic over the last few years, one thing is very clear: Lifestyle has quietly become the biggest risk factor behind most of the illnesses I see today.

- DR R SUNDARARAMAN

Earlier, we used to talk about age, family history, or some rare condition. Now, even young people in their late twenties and thirties are walking in with problems that we earlier saw only much later in life.

As an internal medicine doctor, my day usually includes patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, fatty liver, heart problems, gut complaints, sleep issues, and unexplained fatigue. When we sit and talk properly, almost all roads lead back to lifestyle. Long sitting hours, very little physical activity, irregular meals, high stress, poor sleep, and constant screen exposure. None of these looks dangerous by themselves, but together they slowly damage the body.