Obesity in adulthood is a major risk factor for the world’s leading causes of poor health and early death, says the WHO. Photograph used for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
(In the weekly Health Matters newsletter, Zubeda Hamid writes about getting to good health, and staying there. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
It’s often called the ‘mother of all diseases’ but perhaps not taken as seriously as it should be: obesity, now a crisis of epic proportions in India, needs tackling urgently and effectively. Why is it the ‘mother’? Because obesity in adulthood is a major risk factor for the world’s leading causes of poor health and early death, says the World Health Organization. These include: cardiovascular disease, several common cancers, diabetes and osteoarthritis. And so, preventing obesity has direct benefits for health and wellbeing, in childhood and continuing into adulthood.
How is India faring when it comes to obesity? Not well. National Family Health Survey – 5 data found that the prevalence of overweight or obesity had increased across most States/UTs compared to previous previous survey results: at the national level, it increased from 21% to 24% among women and 19% to 23% among men. The number of overweight children too, increased during this period. It’s no wonder then that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to reduce oil consumption by 10% and fight obesity. In the 119th episode of his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, Mr. Modi noted that obesity affects one in eight Indians. In a social media post, he also nominated and tagged actor R. Madhavan, singer Shreya Ghoshal, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, shooter Manu Bhaker and author-politician Sudha Murty, among others, encouraging them to nominate 10 more people, creating a chain of awareness to fight obesity.
In his address, Mr. Modi also highlighted India’s role in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and if this is something you want to know more about, do check out our stories this week about the use of AI in healthcare: Dr. C. Aravinda gives us a broad overview on how AI can be used, its benefits and limitations; Dr. Abdul Ghafur writes on the urgent need for innovation, including the use of AI to tackle antibiotic resistance; Ramya Kannan decodes work by a team of Indian researchers who have come up with AI-powered data integration and predictive analytics tools to understand patterns of antibiotic resistance in real time, Shilpa Elizabeth has details about a tech company’s tie-up with IISc Bengaluru, to start a research lab for AI in eye care, and AI chipmaker Nvidia, with its research partners, say they have created the largest AI system yet for biological research, to read and design genetic code across all forms of life.
Moving on to a subject we have covered extensively this month, cancer, we have a few new stories that offer perspectives on different aspects of this growing burden — Dr. Ishan Capoordebunks the myth that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional ones and points out their risks, including of lung cancer; Dr. Vid Karmarkar highlights the need to ease the indirect burden of cancer — one that often impacts children — through caregiver aid, educational support, and employment protections and Dr. Nitin Sood details the need to overcome the many barriers that hamper access to care for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.
Here’s a quick recap of the global news on healthcare developments and of that virus that has been dogging us for the past several months: H5N1 or avian influenza. I podcasted with Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya on United States’ exit from the WHO and its temporary suspension of USAID and the impacts this could have on global health, and even as we hope to have heard the last of the pandemic, at least for now, Chinese virologists say they have found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as the virus that causes COVID-19. This makes WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu’s call for a global accord on tackling future pandemics even more urgent. On bird flu, there’s worrying news from south India: Andhra Pradesh is grappling with an outbreak, reports G.V.R. Subba Rao and this has led to concerns and intensified surveillance in neighbouring Telangana, writes Siddharth Kumar Singh; however, government authorities have said properly-cooked chicken and eggs are safe for consumption.
Our tailpiece for the week is Athira Elssa Johnson’s review of the Netflix show ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’, a story based on the real-life healthcare fraud perpetrated by Belle Gibson (a self-proclaimed wellness guru) that unpacks how misinformation thrives in the wellness industry through the gaps left by an inaccessible healthcare system.
As ever, we have a substantial list of explainers for you, do check them out if you have the time:
Dinesh S. Thakur and Prasant Reddy T. write on the need for India to have a well thought-out regulatory law for biosimilars.
Soujanya Padikkal asks what the future holds for medical breakthroughs such as CRISPR and CAR-T cell therapy.
Dinesh C. Sharma does a deep dive into the advances in vaccine technology so far and the road ahead
R. Sujatha explains why scoop stretchers should become an essential component in all ambulances
R. Prasad asks why the Central TB Division is pushing an untested AI tool for screening.
Dr. Shruthi Sreedhar tells you all you need to know about polycystic ovary syndrome.
If you want to know more about glaucoma or Guillain-Barré Syndrome, read this piece and watch this video.
Bindu Shajan Perappadan explains why the Union Health Ministry banned the export of unapproved combination drugs containing Tapentadol and Carisoprodol
Serena Josephine M. unravels why in Tamil Nadu, CM’s health insurance policy claims continue to be denied on ‘flimsy grounds’.
And finally, what ails the pain relief care in India? Here’s an overview.
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Published – February 25, 2025 02:27 pm IST