NEW DELHI: India’s battle against lifestyle diseases is intensifying, with the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) revealing a sharp rise in both obesity and high blood sugar levels among adults. Nearly one in three women and more than one in four men are now overweight or obese. The share of adults with elevated blood sugar has also climbed significantly since the previous survey.
The survey found 30.7% of women aged 15-49 years were overweight or obese, up from 24% in NFHS-5. Among men, the figure rose from 22.9% to 27.3%. At the same time, the proportion of women with high blood sugar levels or taking medication for diabetes increased from 13.5% to 17.8%, while the corresponding figure among men jumped from 15.6% to 20.9%.The rise is particularly pronounced in southern and coastal regions, with several states emerging as obesity and diabetes hotspots. Puducherry recorded the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity among women at 51.3%, meaning more than half of adult women are overweight or obese. It was followed by Lakshadweep (50.1%), Andhra (47.9%), Sikkim (47.5%), and Kerala (46.7%).Among men, the highest levels were reported from Andaman and Nicobar (46.1%), Puducherry (45.9%), Goa (43.6%), Sikkim (42.6%), and Andhra (41.5%).Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said the rise in obesity among women could be linked to hormonal changes during puberty, pregnancy and menopause, coupled with lower levels of physical activity. Among women, 28.9% in Kerala and 27.5% in Goa had high blood sugar levels or were taking medication to control diabetes, followed by Puducherry (26.7%), TN (25.2%) and Bengal (22.7%). Among men, the figures were even higher, reaching 32.1% in Goa and 31.9% in Kerala. Puducherry (28.8%), Bengal (26.8%) and TN (26.7%) also figured among the states with the highest prevalence of elevated blood sugar.Public health experts say the findings reflect a growing burden of non-communicable diseases linked to sedentary lifestyles, calorie-dense diets, reduced physical activity and ageing populations.