Double Burden

India’s health crisis is no longer defined only by hunger and infectious diseases. It is increasingly shaped by a dangerous contradiction — millions still suffer from undernutrition even as obesity and diabetes surge across the country. The findings of the National Family Health Survey VI expose this unsettling reality. One in six Indians now reports high blood sugar levels, while nearly 30 per cent are obese. At the same time, over 31 per cent of children remain underweight. Few countries confront such a severe double-disease burden at the same time.

This crisis reflects not merely changing lifestyles but also flawed development priorities. Rising incomes, urbanisation and sedentary living have altered food habits dramatically. Traditional diets rich in fibre and diversity have steadily given way to refined carbohydrates, ultra-processed foods and sugar-heavy consumption. Cheap calories have replaced balanced nutrition. As a result, India is witnessing a metabolic disaster in slow motion — one that increases the risk of heart disease, hypertension, kidney disorders and even cancers.

What makes the situation more alarming is that childhood malnutrition continues alongside rising childhood obesity. The fact that over 80 per cent of infants between six and 23 months do not receive an adequate diet points to deep structural failures in food awareness and access. Government nutrition schemes have expanded food supply, but they often overlook behavioural and educational aspects of nutrition within households. Mothers and caregivers remain central to children’s dietary patterns, yet public health messaging in this area remains weak.

India cannot fight 21st-century diseases with outdated policy thinking. Nutrition policies must move beyond filling stomachs to ensuring dietary diversity, physical activity and preventive healthcare. Unless India urgently addresses both malnutrition and metabolic diseases together, the country risks becoming simultaneously underfed and unhealthy — a tragic paradox for a nation aspiring to global leadership.