Obesity silent tsunami of India's disease burden, say experts

OBESITY has emerged as one of the most urgent and under-recognised health crises in India, with experts warning that it now functions as a silent tsunami sweeping through the population.

- PAYAL BANERJEE

A study published in The Lancet proj-ects that nearly one-third of Indians or approximately 449 million people could be obese by 2050.

This includes an estimated 218 million men and 231 million women.

The rising tide of obesity is closely linked to a surge in chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular ailments, fatty liver, hormonal disorders, infertility, and even certain cancers, experts said.

India already holds the global record for the highest number of people living with diabetes, estimated at over 101 million. Increasingly, these conditions are being diagnosed at younger ages, they said.

An alarming rise in non-communicable diseases among individuals in their 20s and 30s, the most productive age group, a trend that is largely being driven by excess body weight, said Dr Neeraj Nischal, additional professor in the Department of Medicine at AIIMS.