India may have over 440 million overweight people by 2050: Lancet study
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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
