‘Must take proactive steps’—PM Modi reiterates concern over obesity crisis in I-Day address

Modi reinforced his previous recommendations to address the crisis, urging families to purchase 10% less cooking oil, and reduce its consumption by the same margin on a regular basis.

PM Modi delivering the Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi | PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again raised concerns about the issue of obesity, stressing on the need for collective action to tackle the crisis. In his address at Red Fort in Delhi on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day, Modi highlighted expert forecasts indicating that one in every three individuals in the country could become obese in near future.

“When discussing fitness, I am compelled to raise an important concern. Obesity is becoming a significant challenge that every family should take seriously. We must take proactive steps to protect ourselves from it,” the prime minister said.

Modi reinforced his previous recommendations to address this, urging families to purchase 10 percent less cooking oil, and reduce its consumption by the same margin on a regular basis.

A 2023 survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) had shown that 25.4 crore Indians or 28.6 percent of the population had generalised obesity. This survey had estimated the number of people with abdominal obesity at 351 million, or 39.5 percent of the population.

The ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, in its dietary guidelines last year, had noted that there is rising prevalence of overweight and obesity in several states, adding that 56.4 percent of India’s total disease burden is due to unhealthy diets with a major focus on carbohydrates.

Obesity, now recognised as a chronic, relapsing disease, is a major risk factor for diabetes, and is found to be linked to over 200 health complications, including hypertension, dyslipidemia or high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, some types of cancers and obstructive sleep apnea, among others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweight and obesity in adults using body mass index. Those with a BMI between 25 and 30 kilograms per square metre are considered overweight, while people with a BMI of more than 30 kilograms per square metre are classified as obese.

However, according to experts, India has a larger problem of abdominal obesity, characterised by fat deposition around crucial internal organs, but comparatively thinner limbs, which throws its own set of challenges.

The growing obesity crisis has prompted Modi, on several occasions this year, to make a pitch for efforts to curb the epidemic. In his monthly radio broadcast in February, he had first called on people to reduce the use of cooking oils commonly found in unhealthy food. He had also previously urged people to adopt an active and healthy lifestyle in order to prevent obesity.

This year, India saw the launch of two drugs—Wegovy by Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro by Eli Lilly and Company—that have been global smash hits for years for obesity treatment exclusively.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)