Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 2: Karnataka ranks second in the LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol), says the survey carried out by the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).

People living in urban Kerala have the worst LDL levels in their blood. Karnataka is followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra, where a large number of the population carries an alarming level of LDL cholesterol.

The survey shows that Diabetes is on the higher side in Karnataka. The state ranks third position when it comes to the number of urban male smokers,

A majority of mothers living in the urban areas in the state start complementary feeding before six months, says Avula Laxmaiah, head of the division of community studies at NIN and lead author of the paper.

Nearly 97 per cent ignore the medical advice against early introduction of complementary feeding before the age of six months. This can lead to an increased risk of infections like diarrhea, which further contributes to weight loss and malnutrition.

The survey reached over 52,000 households in 16 states of India. Data from over 1.72 lac people was collected.

It is shocking to note that almost one-third of the population living in urban India are overweight, one in every three living in urban cities suffer from hypertension. One in three men drink alcohol and one in five is a smoker.