Kolkata : Obesity has rapidly emerged as one of the most pressing health challenges in India, cutting across urban and rural populations, and impacting people of all ages and genders. Beyond excess weight, obesity is now recognized as a driver of multiple health complications including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, reproductive disorders, certain cancers, musculoskeletal ailments, mental health issues, and a marked reduction in quality of life.
Despite its scale, obesity in India continues to remain under-recognized as a chronic, relapsing disease requiring sustained, evidence-based and multidisciplinary management. Current treatment approaches are often fragmented, with patients receiving compartmentalized care that fails to address the complexity of obesity and its associated disorders.
Call for a National Consensus
In response, leading healthcare professionals are calling for the creation of a comprehensive, multi-specialty consensus statement and clinical practice guidelines for obesity management in India.
The initiative envisions collaboration between experts from:
- Metabolic and obesity medicine, endocrinology, internal medicine, cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, hepatology, orthopedics, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, bariatric surgery, elderly medicine, clinical biochemistry, nutrition sciences, and
- Public health specialists and patient representatives.
Key Objectives of the Consensus
- Recognize obesity as a disease state rather than a mere risk factor.
- Develop tailored recommendations based on age, sex, and ethnicity-specific Indian phenotypes.
- Outline clinical pathways for prevention, early detection, and long-term management across lifestyle, pharmacological, surgical, and rehabilitative options.
- Address vulnerable populations including children, adolescents, women of reproductive age, and the elderly.
- Integrate complication-specific care for conditions such as diabetes, infertility, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and cancer risk.
- Provide a roadmap for policymakers, insurers, and healthcare systems to implement coordinated, cost-effective strategies.
A National Health Imperative
Experts warn that without immediate collective action, the dual health and economic burden of obesity could escalate to catastrophic levels in the coming decade. By uniting across specialties and disciplines, India has the opportunity to establish an actionable, consensus-driven framework that safeguards the health of millions.
Launch of a National Campaign
To drive this mission, a pan-India national campaign will soon be launched under the banner:
#NoObesity
