Intermittent fasting is the latest in weight loss fads that get debunked as swiftly as they go viral. So much about our rising fatness is confusing. But it’s key lies in the changing nature of the Indian economy
One day you’re told the great secret of weight loss, the next day you’re informed it’ll kill you. Intermittent fasting, a popular way to burn fat and control type 2 diabetes, is now under scrutiny, with a new study linking it to heart disease.
India is in a peculiar phase of growth, as under-nutrition and obesity are both public health emergencies. A Lancet study this year found that 12.5 million children and teens were obese in 2022, up from 0.4 million in 1990. Female obesity has risen more sharply than that of men. Obesity across rural India has doubled in the last decade, and the risk is greater for the poor.