NEW DELHI: Five to six out of every ten Indian women aged 30 to 49 have abdominal obesity, a condition linked to ageing, urban living, higher income, and non-vegetarian diets, according to study.
Published in Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research and Reviews, the study highlights that more women than men in India are reporting larger waistlines. It warns that India is showing visible signs of a deeper, largely hidden metabolic emergency. Alarmingly, this trend is increasingly observed among teenagers and young adults, especially girls, reflecting early undernutrition followed by rapid lifestyle transitions.
The study stresses the urgent need to measure abdominal obesity, as it is associated with several end-organ diseases, including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney dysfunction, metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and certain cancers such as breast cancer.
It further notes that Body Mass Index (BMI) does not accurately capture obesity in Asian Indians, who tend to have higher body fat at lower BMI levels compared to white populations. Therefore, the focus should shift from general obesity to abdominal obesity, which includes excess fat under the skin and around vital organs like the liver and pancreas—key drivers of metabolic and cardiac risks.
This marks a significant shift in risk assessment. Instead of relying solely on BMI, experts recommend using waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio for better evaluation of cardiometabolic risks.
Experts say abdominal obesity is simple to measure using a tape and should be routinely assessed. It also helps guide lifestyle changes and treatment decisions.
Abdominal obesity rising in rural areas as well
The study adds that abdominal obesity is no longer limited to urban or affluent populations. It is rising in rural areas and among lower- and middle-income groups. Data from NFHS-5 (2019–21) shows abdominal obesity affects about 40% of women and 12% of men in India.