Data from India's ageing study suggests one-fifth of those aged 45 and above had diabetes in 2019
Findings published in The Lancet Global Health also suggest that as the country's population rapidly ages, diabetes cases among the middle-aged and older adults will increase, even if increase in prevalence of the condition in age-specific groups can be arrested, authors said.
Researchers, including those from the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and US, also found that 46 per cent of those aware of their diabetes regained a control over blood sugar levels, while around 60 per cent were able to control their blood pressure the same year.
Six per cent were taking a lipid-lowering medication to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the team said.
The 'Longitudinal Aging Study in India' (LASI), which surveyed about 60,000 adults aged 45 and above during 2017-2019 (Wave 1), found prevalence of the metabolic condition was similar among men and women (nearly 20 per cent) and that in urban areas was twice, compared to prevalence in rural ones.
Further, states that were economically more developed tended to have a greater prevalence of diabetes, with about a third or more having diabetes in the states where prevalence was highest, the researchers said.
"Our study provides updated, nationally representative, and state-representative estimates of diabetes prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control using glycaeted haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations among middle-aged and older adults in India," they wrote.
The team "found that approximately one in five people aged 45 years and older had diabetes (50.4 million individuals), that variation across states was wide, and that urban diabetes prevalence was twice as high as rural prevalence."
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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Data from India's ageing study suggests one-fifth of those aged 45 and above had diabetes in 2019
About a fifth of those aged 45 and above were living with diabetes in 2019, with two in every five possibly unaware of their condition, according to data from a study among India's ageing adults. Researchers, including those from the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, and US, also found that 46 per cent of those aware of their diabetes regained a control over blood sugar levels, while around 60 per cent were able to control their blood pressure the same year. Six per cent were taking a lipid-lowering medication to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the team said. The 'Longitudinal Aging Study in India' (LASI), which surveyed about 60,000 adults aged 45 and above during 2017-2019 (Wave 1), found prevalence of the metabolic condition was similar among men and women (nearly 20 per cent) and that in urban areas was twice, compared to prevalence in rural ones. Further, states that were economically more developed tended to have a greater prevalence of diabetes, with about a third or more having diabetes in the states where prevalence was highest, the researchers said. 'Our study provides updated, nationally representative, and state-representative estimates of diabetes prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control using glycaeted haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentrations among middle-aged and older adults in India,' they wrote. The team 'found that approximately one in five people aged 45 years and older had diabetes (50.4 million individuals), that variation across states was wide, and that urban diabetes prevalence was twice as high as rural prevalence.' The authors added that compared to results from previous national surveys, such as the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study that spanned 2008-2020, findings from the LASI suggest a slightly higher achievement of glycaemic and blood pressure targets, but a lower achievement of lipid-lowering medication targets, among the population. The authors' findings support the notion that 'India continues to be at a stage in the nutrition transition characterised by greatest diabetes prevalence among higher socioeconomic groups.' Further, the results showing a greater prevalence of diabetes among the older age groups are important as the country's population ages rapidly, the team said. The results suggest that 'in the coming years, the total number of middle-aged and older adults with diabetes will increase even if the rise in age-specific diabetes prevalence can be halted.'
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
How migration to urban areas is expanding waistlines in India
Migration is reshaping Indian bodies—not just metaphorically, but physically, and measurably so. As millions move from villages to cities, the contours of daily life shift: new jobs, new routines, new stresses and new diets. And gradually, their bodies change too. In a recent analysis of over 31,000 adults aged 45 and above, researchers Bittu Mandal and Kalandi Charan Prasad at the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore report a strong link between rural-to-urban migration and obesity. The longer someone lives in a city, the more likely they are to carry excess weight—especially around the waist, the fat most tied to chronic disease. Migration, they suggest, is not just demographic—it's metabolic. What the research looked at To trace how cities imprint themselves on the body, the researchers turned to one of the largest ageing surveys in the world—the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). Conducted across every State and Union Territory in 2017–18, it captured the lives of over 70,000 adults aged 45 and above. From this national tapestry, the team pulled a focused thread—31,595 people whose past and present addresses told a story of movement. They zeroed in on those who had left villages for cities, classifying these rural-to-urban migrants by how long they'd lived in their new urban homes: under five years, five to ten, or more than a decade. Then came the crucial question: Had their bodies changed with time in the city? The researchers examined both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference—because belly fat, more than weight alone, is often the clearer signal of looming chronic disease. Using multiple statistical models, they asked whether simply spending more time in a city made people more likely to become obese. What they found The analysis revealed a clear trend. The longer someone lives in a city, the higher their odds of obesity. Even within five years of migrating, rural-to-urban migrants were nearly twice as likely to be obese as rural non-migrants, with the risk rising further after 6–10 years and again after a decade. 'We did not observe a clear point where the risk stabilises,' said Bittu Mandal, one of the study's authors. This pattern held for both general (measured by BMI) and abdominal obesity. Among rural non-migrants, just 2.6% were obese, compared to 13.1% for long-term urban dwellers and migrants. This aligns with the Indian Migration Study, which found increased body fat in migrants within a decade, characterised by higher blood pressures, lipids, and fasting blood glucose—patterns consistent across gender, as noted in an earlier work by Varadharajan et al. and Ebrahim et al. The ICMR-INDIAB study further showed that migrants had the highest rates of abdominal obesity and diabetes, surpassing even long-term city dwellers. The data also highlighted group-level differences. Obesity was especially common among women, wealthier or more educated individuals, and adults aged 45–59, who often adopt sedentary urban jobs and calorie-dense diets more readily than older migrants. 'Many migrants shift from labour-intensive rural work to desk jobs,' Mr. Mandal explained. 'Cities also offer easy access to processed foods, driving abdominal weight gain.' This is not just a matter of availability but also time. 'Time pressures associated with urban employment lead to increased demand for time-saving in food preparation and consumption,' said Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition. 'Pre-packaged and processed foods are everywhere, often replacing fresh meals in urban diets, especially for the poor.' Anaka Aiyar, a developmental economist at University of Vermont cautions that even non-migrants aren't spared as urban influence spreads. 'As market access improves in rural and peri-urban areas, processed foods become increasingly available. This shifts diets toward obesogenic patterns, especially for lower-middle-income women in sedentary jobs.' Filling the gaps While the study is statistically robust, its cross-sectional design leaves one key question open: does city life cause weight gain—or are heavier people more likely to migrate? Other research in the area bridges this gap. Sibling-pair studies in India—where migrants are compared to their rural siblings—show a consistent pattern. The migrant sibling is typically heavier, less active, and eats less nutritiously. Both higher calorie intake and lower energy expenditure contribute equally to their greater body fat—driven mainly by fatty diets, sedentary habits, and limited physical activity. Oyebode and colleagues looked at pooled data of 40,000 individuals from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa and found that occupational activity among migrants was lower and leisure activity higher. Together, these studies build a robust case—migration alters work, diet, and daily life in ways that foster weight gain. Policy implications As more Indians migrate to cities the health risks of that shift are becoming clearer. Yet internal migrants, particularly women and middle-aged adults, often fall through the cracks of public health programmes. 'They are often overlooked,' said Mr. Mandal. 'They face barriers such as lack of documentation, limited awareness, and care disruptions.' He suggests that national programmes - Ayushman Bharat and NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke)- expand migrant outreach, offer portable benefits, and prioritise targeted screenings. But the challenge may run deeper than healthcare access. 'Food environments are changing rapidly, while nutrition policies lag behind,' said Prof. Aiyar. 'This disconnect risks leaving low-income and female migrants especially vulnerable.' Prof. Pingali argues that India's grain-heavy food policy has long limited access to fresh produce. 'Processed foods become default substitutes, especially for the urban poor,' he said. 'Combined with sedentary lifestyles and sugary drinks, this fuels adverse health outcomes.' He calls for a policy shift toward year-round access to fruits, vegetables, and dairy. From a different angle, economist Arup Mitra, professor at South Asian University and the former director-general of the National Institute of Labour Economics Research and Development, notes that many low-income migrants face basic nutritional hardships in cities. 'Access to healthy livelihoods—whether via sanitation or food—is already limited,' he said. 'And rising living costs only make things worse.' As India's cities swell and its migrants age, the country must reshape its health response—before citizens start bearing the irreversible burden of neglect.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: What Lancet study reveals about Diabetes in India and why it matters for UPSC exam
Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget on the recent Lancet study on diabetes in India. (Relevance: These studies in the context of India are significant as India is suffering from the double burden of malnutrition and rising obesity. These studies provide a broader understanding of the problem and can be used for value addition in your Mains answer. ) According to a new paper published in 'The Lancet Global Health' journal, at least one in five people aged 45 and older had diabetes in India in 2019. Significantly, two out of five people with diabetes (or 40 per cent of those diagnosed) were unaware of their condition. 1. The Lancet paper is based on the findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) that surveyed nearly 60,000 adults in India aged 45 years and older between 2017 and 2019 to estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes. 2. According to the study, an estimated 20 million Indians have undiagnosed diabetes. Overall, eight per cent of the elderly (60-plus) subjects have been found to be undiagnosed. 3. The study also found that rates of diabetes were similar among men and women (19.6 per cent of men vs 20.1 per cent of women). Urban diabetes prevalence (30 per cent) was approximately twice as high as rural prevalence (15 per cent). 4. The study also provides updated evidence on the patterns of diabetes within India. States in southern India tend to have a higher rate of diabetes after adjusting for age, while others in central and northeastern India have a lower rate. 5. The states with the highest age-adjusted diabetes rates among adults aged 45 and above were Chandigarh (36.9 per cent), Kerala (36.0 per cent) and Puducherry (36 per cent). The states with the largest number of adults having diabetes were Tamil Nadu (6.1 million people), Maharashtra (5.8 million people) and Uttar Pradesh (4.7 million people). 1. Diabetes mellitus is one of the endocrine diseases that is caused due to inadequate secretion of the hormone insulin from the pancreas. Lack of insulin causes an increase in sugar in our body, leading to the condition called diabetes mellitus. (NCERT) 2. Until recently, most children and adolescents with diabetes were thought to have Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes. However, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM Type 2) among children is now being increasingly reported from several parts of the world. (NCERT) 3. Adolescents who are obese are more likely to get Type 2 diabetes which is manifested as high blood sugar. 4. To tackle this, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently directed its affiliated schools to establish sugar boards to monitor and reduce sugar intake in children. The board noted a significant increase in type 2 diabetes among children over the past decade. 1. GLP-1 is both an incretin hormone and a neurotransmitter. In physiology, it is secreted from the small intestine and from the hindbrain after we eat a meal. It travels to the pancreas, where it helps to regulate our blood sugar by increasing insulin and decreasing glucagon. This is what we call the incretin effect. 2. This effect is blood glucose-dependent, meaning it is only if the blood glucose is elevated that it has an effect here. GLP-1's effects in the pancreas and brain are the important ones to help control blood glucose and body weight. 3. The reason natural GLP-1 is so short-lived is that it is chopped up by metabolic enzymes known as DPP-4 and cleared by the kidneys. 4. The drugs used for the treatment of diabetes belong to a class of medicines called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonists. Semaglutide and tirzepatide both mimic the action of GLP-1. Tirzepatide additionally also mimics the action of another hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). 5. These drugs work by improving the secretion of insulin that allows more of the glucose in the bloodstream to enter cells where it can be used for energy, and inhibiting the secretion of the hormone glucagon that stimulates the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream. 6. These drugs work to slow down the emptying of the stomach so that the glucose levels in the bloodstream don't spike and reduce appetite by signalling to the brain that one is satiated. Obesity, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that poses health risks. A person with a BMI of less than 18.5 is considered to be underweight, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered to be normal, those with BMI between 25 and 29.9 are considered to be overweight, while those with BMI over 30 are considered to be obese. This year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has officially recognised Type 5 diabetes as a distinct form of the disease. It is a form of diabetes affecting lean and malnourished teenagers and young adults in low- and middle-income countries. Type 5 diabetes causes pancreatic beta cells to function abnormally, leading to insufficient production of insulin. In Type 2, the body resists insulin action despite producing it. Consider the following statements: 1. Diabetes mellitus is one of the exocrine diseases caused due to inadequate secretion of the hormone insulin. 2. GLP-1 is both an incretin hormone and a neurotransmitter. Which of the above-mentioned statements is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 (Source: One in 5 older Indian adults had diabetes in 2019, says Lancet study: Should there be universal screening?, What's Type 5 diabetes that has been recognised after decades all about?, How GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide have revolutionised obesity treatment, NCERT) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
