Delhi Diary: Diabetes Rising Among India's Urban Poor

By Syakir Husain, BERNAMA’s correspondent in India shares his take on the New Delhi capital city and its unique social narrative. NEW DELHI, June 13 (Bernama) -- India's urban poor are becoming more prone to diabetes due to unhealthy diets and their inability to afford quality healthcare. The trend is worrying as the country is witnessing a rapid rise in its urban population. A study published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal highlighted that the heavy reliance of low-income people on rice and wheat in their diets has contributed to diabetes in urban areas. Ironically, the unhealthy diet is being attributed to India's Green Revolution, the agricultural success over the decades that made the country self-sufficient in food production. That period is particularly notable for a huge increase in rice and wheat production. Since these high glycaemic value cereals dominate the country's public distribution system, which provides food at subsidised rates to millions of people, a large section of population depends on rice and wheat for their basic food needs. Doctors suggest less sugar and starch in food along with higher use of traditional coarse cereals such as millets, sorghum and red rice, which have been dispelled from everyday meals by too much use of wheat and rice. The Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR–INDIAB) study led by Ranjit Mohan Anjana is seen an important work in tackling the epidemic in India. It studied data from 57,000 people in 15 states. Prevalence of diabetes in urban areas was 11.2 per cent, almost double the figure for rural India. In a country where public hospitals are overburdened and lack resources, people are forced to rely on costlier private sector treatment. Most people lack health insurance cover and must pay for treatment out of their own pocket. It's not uncommon for people to take loan or sell their property to pay for costly medical treatment. "This trend is a matter of great concern because it suggests that the diabetes epidemic is spreading to individuals who can least afford to pay for its management," Anjana was quoted as saying in the local media. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India had 69.2 million people living with diabetes in 2015. India has the third highest number of diabetic people in the world. Sedentary lifestyles and growing access to junk food in urban areas, including slums, are adding to the problem. "The availability, accessibility and affordability of junk food is the biggest problem for India," Anjana said. The other factors exacerbating the problem, according to him, are: Industrialisation, mechanisation, urbanisation and globalisation. These four elements are also key to India emerging as one of the world's top economies. And looking at India's urbanisation projections, there is likely to be a bigger diabetes problem in the future. India's urban population was estimated at 377 million in the 2011 census. The number is expected to grow to almost 600 million by 2030. Creating a healthcare system to match the projected urban growth remains a huge challenge. Lifestyle modifications can go a long way in reducing diabetes, but that would require a radical shift in India's often-haphazard urban development patterns that leave little outdoor space for recreational activities. -- BERNAMA