- Prelims: Current events of national importance, WHO, NCDs, G20, age tax, mortality, fertility rate, AI, robotic surgery etc
- Mains GS Paper I & II: Development and management of social sectors/services related to Health and education etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- A study conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Union Health Ministry revealed that 4(eleven point four)% of India’s population are living with diabetes 15.3(fifteen point three)% of the population.
- It also found that 6(twenty eight point six)% of the population would be considered to be obese as per the BMI measure.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Health:(WHO)
- A certain totality of health to the realms of mental and social well-being and happiness beyond physical fitness, and an absence of disease and disability.
- We cannot achieve health in its wider definition without addressing health determinants.
Non-communicable Diseases(NCD’s):
Common NCDs in India:
- Diabetes
- hypertension
- heart attacks
- cancer
- respiratory issues
- depression
Type 1 diabetes (T1D)
- T1D is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, which is a hormone needed to regulate blood sugar levels.
- This type of diabetes usually occurs in children and young adults, although it can occur at any age.
- According to data from the International Diabetes Federation Atlas 2021, India has the world’s highest number of children and adolescents living with Type I Diabetes Mellitus (TIDM)
- It is an autoimmune disorder, which means that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
- The exact cause of this condition is not known, but genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role.
Treatment:
- Type 1 diabetes typically requires insulin injections or an insulin pump to manage the blood sugar levels.
Reasons for rising Diabetes:
- Consumption of ultra-processed foods: According to the WHO, a major reason for this is the consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed foods and beverages, which are aggressively marketed displacing traditional diets.
- Such food includes carbonated drinks, instant cereals, chips, fruit-flavored drinks, instant noodles, cookies, ice cream, bakery products, energy bars, etc
- A playground for the food industry: The sale of sugar-sweetened beverages has fallen in the last 20 years in many high-income countries.
- To compensate for the loss of sales, companies are now focusing on low- and middle-income countries.
- India is a playground for the food industry.
- Marketing targets younger generations and the growing middle class, making it hard for an individual to choose healthy food options.
- Children in particular are exposed to cartoon characters and given incentives and gifts.
- Celebrity endorsements also determine their consumption decisions.
- Sugar-sweetened beverages are a major source of added sugar in diets and put people at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Policy and regulatory actions are warranted.
Challenges:
- The food industry does not want any restrictions on marketing; they offer partnerships as well as arguments of economic development as ‘stakeholders’.
- The food industry also participates in programmes such as ‘Eat Right’, making false promises.
- Such partnerships do not allow for strong regulation that could reduce the consumption of ultra-processed food and beverages.
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has shown a lackluster response to the crisis
- It allowed a dominating role to the food industry while suggesting front-of-package labeling, which is still not in place.
Way Forward
- Government can safeguard people from the manipulative strategies of the food industry through a legal framework or even an ordinance (Article 123 of the Constitution) with the objective of reducing/halting the consumption of ultra-processed foods.
- Governments could include defining ‘healthy food’, a warning label on unhealthy food, and restrictions on the promotion and marketing tactics of unhealthy food and beverages.
- The people must be informed of the risk of consuming such food.
- The governments of South Africa, Norway, and Mexico have recently taken similar actions.
- The Government of India can show its strength to regulate food labeling and marketing.
- Such a law will be a clear demonstration of the will of the government.
- The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods Act flattened the growth of commercial baby food.
- The proposed new law could do the same to unhealthy foods and beverages.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
Besides being a moral imperative of the Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary precondition for sustainable development.” Analyze.(UPSC 2021) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
