When the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released the latest findings from its nationwide India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) survey, the results painted a sobering picture of how India eats and why the country is witnessing a surge in diabetes, obesity, and metabolic disorders.
The study, which analysed the diets of over 18,000 adults across all regions of India, found that more than 62% of daily calories in the average Indian diet come from low-quality carbohydrates such as white rice, milled wheat, and added sugars.
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Combined with high saturated fat intake and low protein consumption, this dietary imbalance has become a potent recipe for disease.
Those with the highest carbohydrate consumption were found to have a 30% higher risk of developing newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, 20% higher risk of prediabetes, and a 22% higher risk of general obesity compared to those consuming the least carbohydrates.
But the most striking finding is this: even replacing white rice with whole wheat or millet flours did not lower the risk of diabetes or abdominal obesity.
What researchers want to stress is that reducing total carbohydrate quantity, not merely switching grains, is what really matters.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ICMR-INDIAB DIETARY STUDY
62.3% of total energy in Indi
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