THE WEEK Metabolic Health Summit | Rising diabetes, obesity burden puts UP’s metabolic health challenge in focus

With diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases emerging as growing public health challenges, experts at THE WEEK Metabolic Health Summit 2026 in Uttar Pradesh called for early screening, stronger regulation, improved primary healthcare and greater public awareness to prevent the rising burden of metabolic disorders.

The Health Summit 2026 – Uttar Pradesh edition was organised with Novo Nordisk as the industry partner, bringing together leading medical experts, researchers and government officials to discuss strategies for preventing and managing metabolic diseases.

The summit, with the theme ‘Advancing Science, Shaping Policy and Transforming Care’, brought together medical experts, researchers and government representatives to discuss ways to strengthen prevention and treatment, with speakers emphasising that tackling metabolic diseases would require coordinated action beyond hospitals and clinics.

Opening the discussion on diabesity, the coexistence of diabetes and obesity, Dr Anuj Maheshwari, president of the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI), said changing lifestyles and declining physical activity were contributing to the growing disease burden. Metabolic disorders, he noted, were no longer confined to urban populations, with rural communities increasingly facing similar risks.

Speaking on ‘One Pathway, Multiple Possibilities: Transforming Care in Diabesity’, Maheshwari also highlighted the importance of maternal health, pointing to inadequate care during pregnancy as a concern linked to poor maternal weight gain. He stressed that screening and early intervention were critical to preventing complications.

While early detection remains central to controlling the disease burden, experts said prevention would also depend on addressing the wider social and regulatory factors driving poor metabolic health.

Prof. Sonia Nityanand, vice-chancellor of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, called for stronger regulations and greater consumer awareness to improve India's cardiometabolic health. Drawing attention to regulatory measures adopted in other countries, she emphasised the need for policies that encourage healthier choices and help reduce the risks associated with unhealthy diets and lifestyles.

The focus then shifted from policy to implementation, with health officials highlighting the need to strengthen existing government programmes and ensure that patients receive timely and consistent care.

Dr Alka Sharma, additional director of health and state programme officer for the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), Directorate General of Medical and Health Services, Uttar Pradesh, stressed the importance of improving drug monitoring at healthcare facilities. Better indenting, dispensing and tracking of medicine consumption, she said, could improve accountability and strengthen the delivery of treatment.

R.S. Yadav, state nodal officer at the National Health Mission (NHM), highlighted the role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in maintaining close contact with patients and extending primary healthcare services. He said awareness alone was insufficient unless people translated medical advice into everyday practice.

“Knowledge is there, but we have to accept it sincerely and follow it,” Yadav said, urging people to assess health risks within their own families, particularly obesity. He also stressed that mental health concerns needed to be addressed alongside physical illnesses.

The urgency of these interventions was underlined by researchers, who warned that the state needed to accelerate its response to the expanding burden of diabetes and related conditions.

Dr Saibal Das, scientist-E at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the diabetes burden in Uttar Pradesh had grown and that efforts to tackle it needed to catch up with the scale of the challenge.

Dr Gyan Chand, professor of endocrine surgery at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, pointed to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious form of fatty liver disease, as significant concerns for the state. He said healthcare professionals were working closely with the government to address these challenges.

Beyond diabetes and cardiovascular disease, specialists also drew attention to fatty liver, a condition that can remain undetected until it progresses.

Dr Prabhat Agrawal, professor of medicine at SN Medical College, Agra, said fatty liver disease was common in India, although its progression varied between individuals. Early diagnosis, he said, was crucial to identifying the condition and preventing complications.

The summit also highlighted the distinct challenges of managing metabolic disease in children. Dr Vijay Jaiswal, professor and head of paediatrics and neonatology at LLRM Medical College, Meerut, said children with type 1 diabetes could lead healthier lives with appropriate treatment, monitoring and family support.

Managing diabetes in children requires additional attention, time and consistent care, he said, adding that families needed unconditional support to navigate the demands of long-term treatment, Jaiswal added.