How ‘pot belly’ went from status symbol to silent killer

India’s pot navel, which was once a badge for prosperity, indulgence and aging, has been the object of satire and social commentary for a long time.

In literature, it was quietly informed of comfort or satisfaction. In the film, he was reduced to lazy public officials, gorgeous uncle or corrupt police officers. Manga exaggerated to mock politicians. In a rural environment, it was once considered a state symbol. “This person eats well.”

But what was once dismissed or congratulated is now to raise an alarm bell. India’s obesity crisis is a balloon. And harmless pot stomach can be a much bigger villain than we think.

India had the second highest overweight or obese adult in 2021 and was influenced by 180 million people behind China. no way New Lancet Study This figure can rise to 450 million by 2050, which is almost one -third of the country’s expected population.

More than half of all adults worldwide and one -third of children and adolescents are expected to face the same destiny.

In India, the center of this problem is abdominal obesity in the pot pear or medical terms.

Obesity in this form refers to the accumulation of excessive fat around the belly, and doctors say that it is more than a cosmetic concern. Until the 1990s, a study showed that a clear connection between belly and chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Obesity is not just abdomen. It appears in a different pattern depending on the fat distribution. Date obesity affects hips, thighs and hips, while general obesity spreads more equally to the body.

The number of abdominal obesity in India is already a problem. According to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS -5) -for the first time, we measured the waist and hip size. 40%of women and 12%of men India has abdominal obesity.

Abdominal obesity based on Indian guidelines means 90cm (35 inches) for men and 80cm (31 inches) or more for women. Nearly one out of two of the women aged 30 and 49 is already showing signs of its signs. Urban populations have been found to be more affected than rural areas, and the waist circumference is high or the waist-hip ratio is indicated.

Then why is the belly fat so big?

One reason is insulin resistance. The body reacts properly to insulin, a hormone that helps the body control blood sugar. Abdominal fat is more difficult to control blood sugar by interfering with the way the body uses insulin.

research South Asians, including Indians, tend to have more body fat than white white people in the same body mass index. (BMI is a simple measure of body fat according to human weight in connection with the height.)

It’s not how many fat you have -it is where it goes. In South Asia, fat tends to gather around the torso and under the skin, but it is not deep in the abdomen as visceral fat.

South Asians can have deeper abdominal fat in the surrounding organs of the liver and pancreas, but research shows that larger and more efficient fat cells are difficult to store fat under the skin. As a result, excessive fat is leaked into an important organ that regulates metabolism such as liver and pancreas, increasing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Scientists still do not fully understand the biological reasons of fat distribution patterns. Numerous genetic studies have been carried out, but a single genes have not continuously explained this tendency.

One theory provides evolutionary fundamentals. India has collapsed due to lack of famine and chronic food for centuries, and many generations have survived in poor nutrition.

Under such conditions, the human body adapted to survival in extreme scarcity.

The body needed a warehouse for this energy, and the abdomen became the main storage, the most expanded area. As time went by, the food became more abundant, and the local store continued to grow and eventually grew to harmful levels.

“This is a speculative but plausible evolutionary theory,” said Delhi’s Fortis-C-DOC excellent center of diabetes, metabolic diseases and endocrinology.

Last year a paper Doctors in the Indian Obesity Committee have moved beyond BMI to better reflect the obesity guidelines for the Asian Indians, and to better reflect how body fat is related to early health risks.

They created a second -level clinical system that considers fat distribution, related diseases and physical functions.

Step 1 includes high BMI, but does not have abdominal obesity, metabolic diseases or physical function disorders. In such cases, changes in lifestyles such as diet, exercise and sometimes drugs are sufficient.

Step 2 contains abdominal obesity (harmful visceral fat) and often involves health problems such as diabetes, knee pain or promotion. This step represents higher risks and requires more intensive management.

This classification guides the therapeutic strength. When the navel fat appears, the initial action is the core. It claims that new weight loss drugs, such as Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, are effective for targeting goals.

Dr. MISRA said, “Even people with normal weight can have a dangerous level of navel fat, just like a shocking sound.

Indian doctors say that abdominal obesity is increasing due to lifestyle changes such as more junk food, takeout, instant meals and greasy home dishes. In 2009 and 2019, Cameroon, India and Vietnam have been the fastest growth in per capita sales of ultra -treatment foods and drinks.

What should I do?

Experts say that Indians need a more difficult lifestyle change than the Western norms recommend. European men are sufficient for European men due to 150 minutes of exercise per share, but South Asians need about 250-300 minutes to offset metabolism slowly and less efficient fat storage. research Show it.

Dr. Misra said, “Our bodies are not good at dealing with excessive fat.

In short, the pot is not just a punch line, but a warning signal. And India is sitting on a ticking healthy bomb.

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