New Delhi: India could have over 440 million overweight and obese individuals by 2050, making it the second highest in the world after China, according to a recent study published in The Lancet journal.

The study has estimated that nearly 60 percent of adults and a third of all children across the globe will be overweight or obese by 2050 if the governments do not take any action.

In India, the projected numbers for mid-century include 218 million overweight or obese men and 231 million women, placing the country second only to China. The United States, Brazil, and Nigeria are expected to follow in third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively, the findings by an international team of researchers reveal.

The study warns that without urgent policy interventions, over half of the world's population aged 25 and above (3.8 billion people) will be affected by obesity. Additionally, about a third of all children and young people, approximately 746 million, are forecasted to be overweight or obese by 2050.

More than half of the world's adults with overweight or obesity in 2021 were concentrated in just eight countries: China (402 million), India (180 million), the USA (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million), and Egypt (41 million).

“The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure,” lead author Prof Emmanuela Gakidou, from the University of Washington, said in a statement.

Researchers highlighted that children today are gaining weight faster than previous generations, leading to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and various cancers at a younger age.

The study’s findings come just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rising obesity in India during his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address. He urged citizens to reduce oil consumption, emphasising that it is not just a personal choice but a collective responsibility towards better health.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday termed the ED's filing of a charge sheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in an alleged money laundering case as vindictive politics by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He said the Centre's act showed that it will not tolerate dissent by those who believe in democracy.

"Enforcement Directorate (ED) filing a chargesheet against senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi — who have always posed a formidable challenge to the Union Government — is yet another chapter in the vindictive politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah," Siddaramaiah alleged in a statement.

This is not merely an act of retribution against two leaders of the Congress party but a clear warning by the Modi Government to opposition parties and all citizens who believe in democracy that dissent will not be tolerated, he alleged.

Siddaramaiah said the Congress party, which has consistently faced such politics of hatred, will once again respond with the strength of truth and justice.

"The Modi-led Government has long been misusing the ED — a supposedly autonomous investigative agency — as a political weapon to target opposition leaders. In the latest instance, it has invoked baseless allegations of financial irregularities in the National Herald case to continue its campaign of political vendetta," the Chief Minister alleged.

It is evident that this action is being carried out under the direct instructions of Modi and Shah, he charged.

"The ED, which repeatedly harassed and mentally pressured senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi under the guise of investigation, has now resorted to filing a chargesheet based entirely on fabricated narratives, after failing to find any evidence," Siddaramaiah said.

Accordng to him, every Congress worker will take to the streets to protest this authoritarianism.

Stating that harassment by the investigation agency was not only a party's issue Siddaramaiah called upon every citizen who believes in democratic values to stand with the Congress.