How did the “abdomen” move from the status symbol to the silent killer

The belly of the Indian bowl – which was once a badge of prosperity, indulgence and aging of respect – has always been a target of satire and social comment.

In literature, it quietly refers to comfort or contentment; In films, it has become an acronym for the lazy official, the fierce uncle, or a corrupt policeman. The cartoons exaggerated the ridicule of politicians. In rural settings, one day it was a symbol of the case – a sign that “this man eats well.”

But what was rejected once or even celebrated is now raising the alarm bells. The obesity crisis in India collects – the abdomen of the non -harmful bowl may be much more evil than we think.

India had the second largest number of adults with weight gain or adults in 2021, with 180 million affected – only behind China. A New Lancet Study It warns that this number may rise to 450 million by 2050, or nearly a third of the country’s expected population.

Globally, more than half of all adults, a third of children and adolescents are expected to face the same fate.

At the heart of this issue in India lies the abdomen of pot, or from a medical point of view, obesity in the abdomen.

This form of obesity indicates the accumulation of excessive fat around the abdomen and doctors say it is more than just a cosmetic concern. As it dates back to the 1990s, studies have shown a clear link between the fat in the abdomen and chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Obesity is not just the abdomen. It appears in different patterns, depending on the distribution of fats: peripheral obesity affects hips, thighs and buttocks, while generalized obesity involves the spread of fat evenly across the body.

Numbers on abdominal obesity in India are already concerned. According to the latest national family health survey (NFHS -5) – which, for the first time, the waist and hip sizes are measured around 40 % of women and 12 % of men In India it has obesity in the abdomen.

Obesity in the abdomen means, based on Indian instructions, a waist over 90 cm (35 inches) for men and 80 cm (31 inches) for women. Among the women between the ages of 30 and 49, approximately one of every two of their signs. The population is found in urban areas to be more affected than the countryside, with a high waist or waist levels to the hip as a major red flag.

So why are the belly fats are large?

One of the reasons is insulin resistance – a condition in which the body stops responding properly to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. The abdominal fat is disrupted by how the body uses insulin, which makes it difficult to control blood sugar.

studies I found that South Asia, including Indians, tend to get more body fat than white Caucasus in the same body mass index. (BMI is a simple scale of body fat based on a person’s weight in its length.)

Not only how much fat you have – where you go. In South Asians, fats tend to assemble around the trunk and under the skin, but not always deep in the abdomen as guts.

Although South Asia may have less than the most harmful deep belly fat around organs such as the liver and pancreas, studies show that their larger and less efficient fat cells are struggling to store subcutaneous fat. As a result, excess fat leaks into vital organs that regulate metabolism – such as the liver and pancreas – which raises the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

Scientists still do not fully understand the biological causes behind the patterns of fat distribution. Although many genetic studies are conducted, no single gene explained this trend constantly.

One theory offers an evolutionary root. India has been exposed, for centuries, by famines and chronic food shortages, leaving generations to survive in small nutrition.

In such circumstances, the human body adapts to remain in a severe scarcity.

The body needed a warehouse for this energy, and the abdomen became, as it is the most expandable areas, the main storage site. Over time, when food became more abundant, this fatty store continued to grow – in the end to harmful levels.

“It is an evolutionary, imaginative, but reasonable, unreasonable theory, which cannot be proven, but logical,” says Anopy Missara, who heads the Fortis C-Doc center in Delhi Diabetes and metabolic diseases.

Last year, in a paper Doctors belonging to the Indian obesity committee have redefined obesity guidelines to Asian Indians, and beyond the body mass index to better reflect the extent of body fat connection to early health risks.

They created a two -stage clinical system that takes into account the distribution of fats, related diseases and physical function.

The first stage includes a high body mass index, but without obesity in the abdomen, metabolism or physical imbalance. In such cases, lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise and sometimes the medications are sufficient.

The second stage includes obesity in the abdomen – harmful visceral fats – often accompanied by health issues such as diabetes, knee pain or palpitations. This stage indicates a high risk and calls for more intensive management.

This classification guides the severity of the treatment. Once the abdominal fat appears, early work is the basis – the new weight loss drugs such as sylphide and Terzopatid prove their effectiveness in targeting them, doctors say.

“Despite a shock as it may seem, even people with normal weight can have dangerous levels of abdominal fat,” says Dr. Maysara.

Indian doctors say that obesity in the abdomen rises due to lifestyle changes – more fast food, meals, immediate meals and oily home cooking. Between 2009 and 2019, Cameroon, India and Vietnam witnessed the fastest growth in individual sales of food and highly treated drinks.

So, what to do?

Experts say Indians need more striking lifestyle changes than Western standards. While 150 minutes of weekly exercise may be sufficient for their European men, their counterparts in South Asia need about 250-300 minutes to make up for the slower metabolism and store less efficient fat, studies Show.

“Our bodies are simply not good in dealing with excess fat,” says Dr. Maysara.

In short, the stomach of fate is not just a pierced line – it is a warning sign. India sits on a healthy time bomb.

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