'Indians are getting as fat as Americans': Obesity crisis swells among India's middle class youth as children choose Western fast food over traditional cuisine

Obesity spreading across India as a result of Western food invasion

Indian fast food market worth £7bn - expected to double by 2016

Doctors fitting gastric bands on children as young as 13



As a result of the obesity epidemic the country also has diabetes epidemic

India already has largest diabetes population in world: 50m sufferers

Medical professionals expect it to reach 100m soon



Indians are more genetically predisposed to developing diabetes



Documentary India's Supersize Kids on BBC iPlayer now



India is suffering a massive obesity epidemic among its middle classes, with millions of Indians now morbidly obese as a result of the Western fast food invasion.

The country's economic boom means wealthy young Indians aspiring to Western lifestyles are increasingly shunning traditional cuisine and choosing to eat from American chains such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC. The Indian fast food market is already worth £7bn, and this is expected to double by 2016.

BBC documentary filmmaker Anita Rani travelled to Mumbai to investigate, meeting some of India's most overweight teenagers , including Kaleb Shah, 13, who already weighs 15st and is having a gastric band fitted to prevent him overeating further.

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Documentary filmmaker Anita Kaleb with 13-year-old Kaleb who has undergone a gastric band operation to help him lose weight

Anita Rani in a shopping mall in Mumbai with Adit, who loves eating McDonalds and who, aged 20, weighs 22 stone

'Chubby kids are traditionally seen as a sign of the family's wealth,' says Rani. 'And they tend to be referred to as "healthy", meaning not underfed.'

Medical professionals appear on Rani's documentary demanding the government takes a stand when it comes to selling fast food.



Regulation of the fast food industry is much looser in India than in Western countries, and wealthy Indians are susceptible to the lure of plentiful advertising and the promise of a Western lifestyle.



As a result, the obesity crisis is swelling in every Indian city, and the epidemic is causing health problems further down the line.



Indians are already more genetically predisposed to diabetes than most of the world, and with 50m sufferers the country boasts the largest diabetic population on the planet. Medical professionals expect that number to reach 100m soon.

Anita Rani beside Kaleb's bedside after his gastric band operation, with Kaleb's mother Dimple The first McDonald's in India opened in New Delhi in 1996

Moreover, international fast-food chains and their Indian imitators - such as Jumbo King, India's first home-grown fast food company - show no sign of slowing down.

Traditional street food vendors are adapting; some roadside carts now sell nothing but hot dogs and burgers

The companies continue to open up branches in cities and towns across the country, threatening to explode the obesity crisis into a national pandemic.

And traditional street food vendors, where earlier generations fed themselves on healthier vegetarian curries and rice, are adapting; some roadside carts now sell nothing but hot dogs and burgers.

Indians are increasingly turning towards Western junk food in effort to emulate affluent lifestyles, while simultaneously cutting back on physical activity



Young people consider these roadside food options less 'trendy' than a pre-packaged McDonald's burger, and complain that they eat typical Indian cuisine at home, so when they go out with their friends they want to eat chips and hot dogs.



FAST FOOD Vs. STREET FOOD

Traditional street food: Rice cakes, chutney, vegetable curry, lentils Approx 400 calories

10 Rupees Western street food: McDonald's Paneer Wrap 800 calories £3.50 or 335 Rupees



The obesity crisis means also means one other type of business is booming: plus-size clothing stores, inspired by those in America.



The owner of one such store in Mumbai told Rani: 'Indians are now as fat as Americans.'

With the cost of a McDonalds meal priced at £3.50, obesity is a problem confined to the middle and upper classes; two-thirds of Indians still live on less than £2 per day.

One effect of this discrepancy is that middle class children are driven everywhere by their over-protective parents.



A huge pressure on academic achievement also contributes to young people's sedentary lifestyles.

One-third of children in some private schools are now obese, and all of these are likely to stay obese into adulthood.

Children are shunning street vendors and opting to eat branded junk food

Traditional Indian street food vendors are being shunned by middle class youth in favour of Western fast food

