As people emerge from feast-induced coma on the day after Christmas, many reinforce their resolve to balance diets. It’s an opportune moment to remind ourselves of a disease that’s increasingly threatening adolescent Indians—fatty liver.
The severity of the condition was recently highlighted by a 14-year-old from Surat, who had to undergo a liver transplant in Mumbai to have a second shot at life. Alarmingly, chronic diseases caused by non-alcoholic fatty livers now affect every eighth obese Indian teenager.
One part of the problem—nature, or genetics—cannot be willed away. But the other—nurture, or lifestyle choices—can. Too much of ultra-processed foods and little physical activity are robbing a whole cohort of a healthy future—something parents and teachers must urgently address.