Why Indians Are Prone to Metabolic Diseases

India is changing quickly, and this affects how people eat, move, and live. These lifestyle changes are linked to more metabolic diseases like diabetes, fatty liver disease, and obesity. But the real problem goes deeper – it’s connected to our biology.

For thousands of years, Indians faced famine and hardship, often thru hard physical work in the fields. To survive those difficult times, our bodies developed what scientists call the “thrifty genotype.” This meant our bodies became very good at saving and storing energy, burning fewer calories then we took in. Every calorie was used, and any extra was stored as fat in case of lean times.

Today, that ancient survival skill is working against us. Now, food is everywhere, it’s easy to get, cheap, highly processed, and full of calories. At the same time,physical activity has decreased because of city living and desk jobs.

this combination of old genetics and new lifestyles is especially noticeable in young Indians. The genes that once protected us now help our bodies store fat easily, particularly around the stomach and in the liver. Because of this, metabolic diseases are appearing earlier and spreading quickly.

thrifty Phenotype: when early life nutrition predisposes adult disease

Adding to our genetic vulnerability is the “Thrifty Phenotype.” This refers to how a fetus adapts during pregnancy, says Dr. Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology and weight loss expert, Zandra Healthcare and Co-founder of Rang De Neela Initiative. He explains that many Indians are born with low birth weight due to generations of mothers not getting enough nutrition.