Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, on Saturday cautioned that currently available weight-loss and anti-obesity drugs must be used with extreme prudence and only under proper medical guidance.
Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Asia Oceania Conference on Obesity (AOCO) in New Delhi, the Minister said obesity is a complex, chronic, and relapsing disorder, and not merely a cosmetic or lifestyle concern. Calling it one of India’s most serious public health challenges, he stressed the need for a whole-of-society approach to effectively tackle the growing obesity epidemic.
Dr Singh, himself a renowned diabetologist and professor of medicine, said obesity is too serious an issue to be left solely to doctors or epidemiologists, as it has deep social, cultural, and environmental roots. He noted that the presence of doctors, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders on a common platform reflects the increasing gravity of the problem.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, the Minister said nearly 63 per cent of deaths in India are linked to non-communicable diseases, many of which are directly or indirectly associated with obesity. Conditions such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers are closely linked to obesity, including central or visceral obesity, which is particularly prevalent among Indians and poses serious health risks even beyond overall body weight.
