Obesity on the rise in India, says Lancet/Health

Obesity on the rise in India, says Lancet

A Series in Lancet on Thursday said emerging economies such as India, Brazil, China, Russia should take immediate steps to reverse the rising trend of various non-communicable diseases such as obesity.

The journal says the obesity epidemic is spreading to low-income and middle-income countries as a result of new dietary habits and sedentary ways of life, "fuelling chronic diseases and premature mortality".

The study recorded smaller increase of overweight in India (obesity rates for women rose from 10.6 per cent to 12.6 per cent between 1998-99 and 2005-06). But the increase was steepest in urban areas in the west of the continent -- nearly 40% in the early 2000s -- almost doubling in less than 10 years. "Though it quoted smaller increase in India...the prevalence of obesity ranges between 30 and 50 per cent in Delhi, Jaipur and Chennai and more often in women, resulting in multiple cadiovascular risk factors," said Dr Anoop Misra, Director and Head Department of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Diseases, Fortis Healthcare.

The report says seven of 10 Mexican adults are now overweight or obese, while nearly half of all Brazilians, Russians and South Africans are in this category.

According to Lancet, unhealthy diet is pushing obesity rates in developing countries closer to those of wealthier countries such as the European Union and the US.

In the developed nations, half of the population is already overweight and one in six people is considered obese.

Interventions to tackle obesity such as improving diets and increasing physical activity can help to reduce the incidence of ischaemic heart disease and stroke and, to a lesser extent, at least three types of cancer, the report said. Lancet found that costs associated with the delivery of interventions are substantially lower in low-income and middle-income than in high-income countries.

Of the countries considered in the analysis, India has the lowest intervention costs.

"The economic strides India has made are not in sync with health reforms, which, unfortunately lag far behind, and sap enormous amount of money for treatment and rehabilitation of those affected," added Dr Misra.

"It makes great sense to include prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases at the top of economic agenda of India," he said.

Source: The Indian Express