Hidden costs of high-carb diets

A new survey on the food habits of Indians, published in Nature Medicine, has again flagged risks from unhealthy diets. Findings from the study, conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB), have traced the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart ailments to consumption of unhealthy food. It has been found that carbohydrates contribute over 62% of daily calories in Indian diets. This intake is mainly in the form of white rice, milled whole grains, and sugar. Protein consumption was found as sub-optimal. A general rise in incomes in the country over the past few decades has not translated into healthier diets. While some surveys have shown that consumption of milk, eggs, meat, etc. has gone up among some sections, the average Indian’s food habits have not undergone much change. The new study was conducted on a sample of 113,043 adults from all regions and can be considered representative.

India, where hunger was once common, is now marked for its high levels of undernourishment. Food habits and sedentary lifestyles are contributing to obesity among people across social and economic classes. One in five Indian households now may have its adult members classified as overweight. According to the study, high carbohydrate consumption carries 15-30% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, general obesity, and abdominal obesity. A shift from rice to wheat and millets is not seen as reducing the risk because these too are rich in carbohydrates.

There have been other studies that pointed to the health bomb ticking away in the country. Obesity and attendant health problems have been steadily rising. According to a report published in The Lancet last year, about 12.5 million Indian children were overweight in 2022, up from 0.4 million in 1990. Attempts have been made to correct the imbalance in the everyday diet. But much more needs to be done in terms of policy initiatives and awareness campaigns to reduce the intake of carbohydrates, and make the diets balanced and healthier. These efforts must also aim at increasing the proportion of pulses, millets, dairy, eggs and fish, fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds in diets. The CBSE’s decision, earlier this year, to put up ‘sugar boards’ in school campuses to alert students to the dangers of high sugar consumption was a welcome move. Ensuring that food is safe and nutritious is the first step towards the goal of a healthy India.