NEW DELHI: A day after the world marked World Obesity Day, a new international study has sounded a stark warning: metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol are rising rapidly across the Asia-Pacific region, placing countries like India among the hardest hit.The research, published in the journal Metabolism, analysed data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study to track the health impact of key metabolic disorders over three decades and forecast trends until 2030.The analysis shows that high blood pressure currently contributes the largest disease burden in the region, responsible for about 138 million years of healthy life lost and more than 6.2 million deaths in 2023 alone.Obesity is emerging as another major driver. High body mass index was linked to around 55 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and about 1.3 million deaths across the Asia-Pacific region last year.At the same time, the diabetes epidemic continues to deepen. Researchers estimate that around 310 million people in the region now live with type-2 diabetes, resulting in about 49 million years of healthy life lost and more than 1.1 million deaths.India, along with China and Indonesia, carries one of the largest shares of this burden, reflecting the combined impact of large populations, urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles and rising obesity.Co-author Dr Anoop Misra of Fortis Hospital said India carries one of the largest metabolic disease burdens in the region. “Our analysis based on the latest GBD 2023 data shows that in 2023 alone, type-2 diabetes in India accounted for over 21 million disability-adjusted life years and nearly 5.8 lakh deaths,” he said.Dr Misra noted that metabolic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, abnormal cholesterol and fatty liver disease are closely interconnected, largely driven by unhealthy diets and low physical activity. “These disorders can eventually lead to serious complications including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, cirrhosis and several cancers,” he added.The study shows that the burden of these metabolic conditions has grown sharply over the past three decades, increasing between 1.7 and nearly four times since 1990 across different diseases.Scientists warn that metabolic disorders rarely occur in isolation. Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol frequently reinforce each other, significantly raising the risk of cardiovascular diseases and premature deaths.The trend is unlikely to reverse soon. Most metabolic risks are projected to continue rising across the region until at least 2030, prompting experts to call for stronger prevention strategies focusing on healthier diets, increased physical activity and weight control.
