India's Obesity Crisis: How Fake Dietitians Are Making It Worse

Speaking at a panel discussion during the ongoing India International Science Festival (IISF) in Panchkula, Haryana, Singh emphasises how societal behaviour, market forces, and misinformation have complicated India’s obesity landscape.

“The challenge in India is not lack of awareness, but the explosive growth of disinformation. Every colony has a dietitian, but no system to verify their qualifications. Unchecked advice and untested formulas can do more harm than obesity itself,” he said.

The Minister stressed the need to handle obesity issues with scientific precision as obesity is not merely a cosmetic problem, and urged policymakers to design mechanisms that safeguard patients from misleading interventions.

“Obesity has emerged as a public health challenge in India, and is not a mere cosmetic issue. The challenge needs to be addressed with scientific precision and policy discipline,” said Singh.

The Minister noted that Indian society has historically viewed obesity as a cosmetic issue rather than a disease, which has delayed scientific conversations around it.

Singh highlighted India’s unique phenotype, especially the higher prevalence of central or visceral obesity in Oriental populations.

“For Indians, the waistline tells a more important story than the weighing scale,” he said, stressing that visceral fat is an independent risk factor even when overall body weight appears normal.

Addressing the widespread and fashionable adoption of GLP-based drugs, the Minister urged caution with judicious use and emphasised that sometimes long-term effects become evident several years later.

He recalled past public-health misjudgements, such as the unregulated shift to refined oils in the 1970s and 80s, which later revealed unfavourable consequences. True clinical inference may come from observing outcomes over decades,” he pointed out.

The MoS also referred to emerging concerns such as sarcopenia and “Ozempic face” linked to rapid or drug-induced weight loss, stressing that the full spectrum of physiological impact is still not fully understood.

He also pointed to the expanding range of metabolic complications in India.

“Earlier, every third OPD patient had undiagnosed diabetes; today every third patient has fatty liver. The spectrum is widening, and we need a far more scientific and regulated ecosystem to handle it".

- IANS