As “belly” moved from the status of the status to the silent killer

Indian belly – once the well -being, indulgence icon and respect – has long been the goal of satire and social commentary.

In the literature, he quietly signaled comfort or self -repair; In the films, this became a shorthand for a lazy official, a brilliant uncle or a corrupt policeman. Cartoons exaggerated him to make fun of politicians. In rural conditions, he was once considered a symbol of status – a sign that “this man eats well.”

But what was once fired or even noted is now raising the bell signaling. The obesity crisis in India is balloons – and seemingly harmless abdomen, which can be a much larger villain than we think.

India had the second number of adult overweight or obesity in 2021, and 180 million suffered – only China. A A new Lancet study It warns that by 2050 this number can increase to 450 million, almost a third of the country’s forecasted population.

It is expected that more than half of all adults and a third of children and adolescents face one fate.

At the heart of this issue in India is a belly, or in medical plan, obesity in the abdomen.

This form of obesity refers to the accumulation of excess fat around the abdomen, and doctors say it is more than cosmetic care. Back in the 1990s, the study showed a clear connection between abdominal fat and chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Obesity is not just a belly. It seems in different models, depending on the distribution of fat: peripheral obesity affects the hips, hips and buttocks, while generalized obesity involves more evenly the spread of fat.

Figures for abdominal obese in India are already alarming. According to the latest national health poll (NFHS -5) – which first measured the size of the waist and hips – near 40% of women and 12% men India has obesity in the abdomen.

Obesity in the abdomen based on Indian recommendations means a waist over 90 cm (35 inches) for men and 80 cm (31 inches) for women. Among women aged 30 to 49, almost one two already shows signs. It was found that urban populations were more affected than in the countryside, with high waist circumference or waist factories to the hip that act as a key red flag.

So why the fat belly is such a big deal?

One of the reasons is insulin resistance – a condition where the body ceases to respond properly to insulin, hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. Female fat disrupts as the body uses insulin, which makes it difficult to control blood sugar.

Research Found South Asian Asians, including Indians, usually have more fat in the body than white Caucasians on the same body mass index. (BMI is a simple fat rate depending on a person’s weight toward their height.)

It’s not just how much fat you have – it’s where it goes. In South Asians, fat is usually going around the trunk and under the skin, but not always deep in the abdomen as viscous fat.

Although South Asians may have less harmful deep fat in the abdomen around the organs, such as the liver and pancreas, studies show that their large, less effective fat cell struggles for skin storage. As a result, excess fat is poured into vital organs that regulate metabolism – such as the liver and pancreas – increasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Scientists still do not fully understand the biological reasons behind the fat distribution models. Although numerous genetic studies have been conducted, no gene invariably explained this trend.

One theory offers an evolutionary root. India, for centuries, has been killed by hunger and a chronic lack of food, leaving generations to survive on miserable nutrition.

In such circumstances, the human body adapted to survival in extreme deficiency.

The body needed a depot for this energy and abdomen, being the most expanded area, became the main storage place. Over time, when the food became richer, this fat store continued to grow – after all the harmful level.

“This is a assumption, but a plausible evolutionary theory that cannot be proven but makes sense,” says Anup Misra, who heads the perfection center in Deli-Doc for diabetes, metabolic diseases and endocrinology.

Last year in a paper Doctors belonging to the Indian obesity commission have reinterpreted the guidelines of obesity for the Asian Indians, going beyond BMI to better reflect as fat related to early health risks.

They created a two -stage clinical system that takes into account the distribution of fat associated with them and physical function.

The first stage includes high BMI, but without obesity in the abdomen, metabolic disease or physical dysfunction. In such cases, lifestyles such as diet, exercise and sometimes medicines are usually sufficient.

The second stage includes obesity in the abdomen – harmful visceral fat – and often accompanied by health problems such as diabetes, knee pain or palpitations. This stage signals a higher risk and requires more intensive control.

This classification manages the intensity of treatment. As soon as the abdominal fat appears, early actions are key – new weight loss drugs, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, are effective when targeting it, doctors say.

“No matter how shocking it sounds, even people with normal weight can have a dangerous level of fat in the abdomen,” says D -Mistra.

Indian doctors say that obesity in the abdomen is growing from a change in lifestyle – more unhealthy food, departure, instant meals and fatty home cooking. Between 2009 and 2019, Cameroon, India and Vietnam had the fastest growth of far -fetched products and beverages.

So, what to do?

Experts say the Indians need tougher lifestyle changes than Western norms recommend. While 150 minutes of weekly exercises can be sufficient for their European men, their South Asian colleagues need about 250-300 minutes to offset slow metabolism and less efficient storage of fat, research Show.

“Our bodies are just not so well resorted to excess fat,” says D -R Misra.

In short, the abdomen is not just a punch is a warning sign. And India sits on a bomb for health.

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