obesity | DD News

March 29, 2026 5:34 PM

Abdominal obesity poses greater health risk than overall obesity: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday cautioned that abdominal or central obesity is a more serious health risk than overall obesity, particularly among Indians, where even lean-looking individuals may carry high levels of harmful visceral fat. Speaking at the release of a comprehensive cardiology textbook titled “Advances in Obesity and Lipid Management in CVD”, Singh said central obesity can independently lead to a wide range of metabolic disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, ...

March 11, 2026 9:30 PM

CDSCO Issues Advisory to Prevent Misleading Promotion of Prescription Drugs for Obesity

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has issued an advisory to pharmaceutical manufacturers, importers, and marketing authorization holders to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 in the promotion and marketing of prescription medicines, particularly GLP-1 receptor agonists and similar drugs indicated for obesity and metabolic disorders. The advisory highlights concerns regarding certain promotional activities, incl...

January 29, 2026 4:10 PM

Lifestyle changes, intake of ultra-processed foods driving obesity at alarming rate: Eco Survey

Obesity is rising at an alarming rate and is today a major public health challenge in India, said Economic Survey for 2025-26 on Thursday. According to the Economic Survey, tabled in the Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the concerning trend was driven by unhealthy diets, lifestyle changes, including sedentary lifestyles, increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), and environmental factors. “It is affecting people across all age groups and increasing the ri...

January 22, 2026 10:34 PM

How obesity leads to uncontrolled inflammation discovered

Researchers say they have finally discovered the pathway by which obesity causes runaway inflammation that can lead to a host of health issues such as diabetes and liver disease. “It’s been known for a long time that obesity causes uncontrolled inflammation, but no one knew the mechanism behind it. Our study provides novel insights about why this inflammation occurs and how we might be able to stop it,” study leader Zhenyu Zhong of UT Southwestern said in a statement. It was already know...

December 9, 2025 12:59 AM

Obesity a public health crisis, not cosmetic issue, says Jitendra Singh at IISF

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh, said on Monday that obesity in India has become a serious public health concern rather than a cosmetic issue, calling for scientific precision and policy discipline in tackling rising metabolic disorders. Speaking at the panel discussion “Clinician–Scientist Interaction on Obesity” during the India International Science Festival (IISF), Singh said obesity entered mainstream medical discussion in India only in the last 1...

December 2, 2025 3:37 PM

Explainer- GLP-1 therapies get WHO nod for obesity, but access challenges dominate concerns

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday issued global guidelines recommending GLP-1 drugs for the long-term treatment of obesity. According to the WHO, this disease affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. The decision comes at a time when demand for drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide has surged, and countries are working on how to include these therapies in public health systems. This announcement now formalises a shift that could influence medical policy, insurance coverage, and...

December 2, 2025 10:29 AM

WHO backs use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity, warns access will remain limited

The World Health Organization on Monday issued its first guideline on the use of GLP-1 therapies for obesity, conditionally recommending them as part of long-term treatment for the condition, which affects more than 1 billion people globally according to the agency. The guidance comes as demand for the class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists has surged worldwide, and governments are figuring out how to include the blockbuster therapies into public health systems. The first conditional recommend...

September 16, 2025 12:37 PM

WHO backs weight-loss drugs for obesity and urges change in mindset

The World Health Organization will recommend using weight-loss drugs to treat obesity in adults, according to draft guidance from the agency that urged countries to take the condition seriously as a chronic disease. The WHO’s expert committee concluded that the popular GLP-1 drugs, first developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, are part of the solution for the long-term treatment of obesity for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, alongside counselling on lifestyle and behavi...

September 10, 2025 1:24 PM

Obesity overtakes being underweight among world’s young, says UNICEF

Globally, obesity is likely now more prevalent among school-aged children and adolescents than being underweight, according to a new report from UNICEF which blamed increasingly unhealthy food environments worldwide for the shift. The UN children's agency based its estimates on data from 2000-2022 compiled by academics in countries around the world, who first predicted in 2017 that this "tipping point" would be reached in the coming years. UNICEF used the data to project what has happened sinc...

August 15, 2025 9:42 AM

PM Modi warns against rising obesity, highlights need to adopt healthier lifestyles

In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to guard against the growing crisis of obesity. “We must stay away from becoming fat...,” he said, calling for a nationwide shift in lifestyle and dietary habits. PM Modi emphasised that obesity is emerging as a serious health challenge across India, driven by sedentary routines and excessive consumption of cooking oil. “Families should decide to use 10 per cent less cooking oil,” he urged, ...