Stanford University has recently posted updates from their India Research

As India’s middle class has expanded, the nation’s public health concerns have shifted. Obesity rates have risen, coinciding with a surge in diabetes. The number of Indians with type 2 diabetes is expected to double to nearly 80 million by 2030. Meanwhile, 43 percent of children in India are underweight, according to the World Bank.

A chronic condition, type 2 diabetes is characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood.  People with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk of health complications, including problems with the eyes, kidneys and cardiovascular system. The American Heart Association estimates that nearly 75 percent of type 2 diabetics die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease. And the risk of stroke increases more than two-fold within the first five years of being treated for type 2 diabetes.

Analysis of the Indian situation:
The Indian population has apathy towards exercise and lacks personal discipline in general. The large number of pot bellies among Indian males, and general obesity in middle-aged Indian women is a symptom on this wide-spread problem. Most people have not walked more than 1 km at a stretch in ages.

However, everyone wants to consume rich/sugary/fatty foods, and since the general lifestyle is sedentary, this combination is a recipe for health problems in the coming years for the current middle-age population who are so busy making money that they don’t realize all their money could be gone in treating just one major illness in their body. And all those pampered kids of today who thrive on fast foods and sugar-loaded stuff, their health may collapse even before they reach middle-age.

The true costs of Indian economic progress will be reflected in the healthcare/medical bills that will be presented to us in 10-15 years. Health is wealth. I hope people realize this serious fact before their situation in beyond repair.
– Shankar