A new study has revealed that approximately 101 million individuals (11.4% of the population) in India have been diagnosed with diabetes, while 136 million individuals (15.3%) have been identified as pre-diabetic and 315 million people are experiencing hypertension.
The number of people with diabetes in India has significantly increased, by 44% over the past four years, reaching a total of 70 million in 2019, according to recent research by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and other institutions.
Pre-diabetes - A Ticking Time Bomb
According to Dr. Ranjit Mohan Anjana, chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and author of the study, the states, which recorded a low prevalence of diabetes, actually witnessed a higher number of pre-diabetes cases documented by the scientists.
Calling it a ticking time bomb situation, Dr. Anjana explained that the conversion from prediabetes to diabetes is very, very fast in our population.
"More than 60 percent of people with prediabetes end up converting to diabetes in the next five years. Moreover, almost 70 percent of India’s population lives in villages. So if the prevalence of diabetes increases by even 0.5 to 1 percent, the absolute numbers will be huge,” Dr. Anjana explained.
Experts believe that over the next few years, it is expected that states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Arunachal Pradesh, which have previously reported low numbers of diabetes cases, may experience an increase in the number of cases.
Out of 136 million people (15.3% of the population), who were diagnosed with prediabetes, most of them are young.
She added that there is almost no rural and urban divide when it comes to studying the prevalence of prediabetes across India.
"In Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Chandigarh there are fewer pre-diabetes cases compared to diabetes cases. In Puducherry and Delhi, they are nearly equal, and so we can say the disease is stabilizing,” said the study’s first author, Dr. Anjana said.
Risk of Obesity
The alarming study indicates that a massive 254 million people in India, amounting to 28.6% of the population, are affected by general obesity.
Additionally, 351 million individuals, which is 39.5% of the population, suffer from abdominal obesity.
Moreover, 213 million people face the health risks associated with high cholesterol levels, while 185 million struggle with bad cholesterol.
According to experts, given that belly fat is a significant risk factor for diabetes and heart disease, it's crucial to implement sustainable and lasting weight loss strategies.