Diet and Lifestyle Crisis Fuels India's Abdominal Obesity

Soumya Swaminathan, ex-WHO Chief Scientist, states that unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles are behind India’s growing abdominal obesity rates.

Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO Chief Scientist, highlights that the rise in abdominal obesity in India is largely due to unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity, pointing to a significant public health concern ().

Swaminathan, who is currently the Principal Advisor for the Health Ministry’s tuberculosis program called for expanding access to healthier diets and spaces for exercise in the country to fight against obesity, which is already a global health concern.

From BMI to Waist-to-Height: A New Era in Obesity Diagnosis
Why is the waist-to-height ratio a better obesity indicator than BMI? It more accurately predicts health risks related to abdominal fat distribution.

‘ Did You Know?
Abdominal obesity affects men and women differently, often increasing more rapidly in men. #obesity #diet #inactivity ’

Obesity is a known precursor to diabetes, hypertension, and cancer -- the non-communicable diseases rising significantly both in India and worldwide.

“Abdominal obesity - unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are driving this unhealthy trend,” Swaminathan said in a post on X.

Hidden Health Impact of Poor Diet and Inactivity

“More awareness, nutrition literacy, expanded access to healthier diets, spaces for exercise needed,” she added, citing a recent study on abdominal obesity, published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health.

Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health challenges in the developing countries and needs to be understood and tackled effectively.

The study led by researchers from IIHMR University in Jaipur and Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, is based on data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in 2019-21.

The results showed that abdominal obesity is more prevalent among women (40 percent) than men (12 percent). About 5-6 out of 10 women between the ages of 30 and 49 are abdominally obese.

Early Infant Feeding Choices Crucial for Obesity Risk
Infant feeding practices significantly impact rapid weight gain, with certain habits linked to a higher risk of obesity as early as the first months of life.

The association of abdominal obesity in women is stronger in elderly women and non-vegetarians.

While abdominal obesity is more prevalent among people living in urban areas, the study showed that it is also on the rise in rural areas and is penetrating lower and middle socioeconomic sections of society.

Obesity: A Significant Risk Factor for Postmenopausal Breast Cancer
40% of postmenopausal hormone-positive breast cancer cases are linked to excess body fat.

In India, BMI has conventionally been used to measure obesity. For the first time, the NFHS-5 assessed abdominal obesity through the waist circumference of 6,59,156 women and 85,976 men (aged between 15 and 49 years).

The study thus found that some women with healthy BMI also have abdominal obesity. Kerala (65.4 percent), Tamil Nadu (57.9 percent), Punjab (62.5 percent), and Delhi (59 percent) showed a high prevalence of abdominal obesity, while Jharkhand (23.9 percent) and Madhya Pradesh (24.9 percent) had lower prevalence.

Besides indicating an “emerging health risk for Indian women”, the study also showed “a double burden of malnutrition” in the country.

The researchers urged the government to take proactive steps “to design targeted interventions for the groups who have high abdominal obesity, particularly for the women in their thirties and forties”.

Reference:

Rising Abdominal Obesity in India Linked to Poor Diets and Sedentary Lifestyles: Soumya Swaminathan - (https://www.ibtimes.co.in/rising-abdominal-obesity-india-linked-poor-diets-sedentary-lifestyles-soumya-swaminathan-873864#google_vignette)

Source-IANS