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From yoga to medicine access: India steps up fight against growing non-communicable disease crisis

More than 101 million Indians are currently living with diabetes, with an additional 136 million who are pre-diabetic.

3 min readBerlinUpdated: Oct 14, 2025 02:22 PM IST

A panel of experts at the ongoing World Health Summit, 2025, in Berlin, deliberated on how integrated interventions can help reduce NCDs. (Express Photo)

From growing evidence on the role of yoga in managing cardiovascular diseases, achieving ABC targets in diabetes care, promoting healthier diets by reducing high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, and ultra-processed foods, to improving access to antihypertensive medications, a range of strategies are being implemented to tackle India’s escalating non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis.

Dr Sanghamitra Pati, Additional Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Dr Tanvir Kaur, Head, International Health Division, who moderated a panel of experts at the ongoing World Health Summit, 2025, in Berlin, deliberated on how integrated interventions can help reduce NCDs.

Dr V Mohan, Chairman, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, spoke about the need to prevent diabetes-related complications, the importance of achieving the ABC targets, and how to keep HbA1c (blood sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol under control.

The prevalence of diabetes among India’s young adults has increased, Dr Mohan said, while also referring to the ICMR–INDIAB study, India’s largest epidemiological survey on diabetes, that showed a concerning trend where more than 101 million Indians are currently living with diabetes, with an additional 136 million who are pre-diabetic.

“Alongside clinical management, lifestyle interventions are critical and a healthy diet and increased physical activity can prevent up to at least 50 per cent of new Type 2 diabetes cases,” Dr Mohan added.

Dr Bharati Kulkarni, Director, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, also said their surveys had shown that Indian diets lack diversity, with a shift towards processed, high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods, especially in urban areas. Dr Kulkarni also gave a snapshot of how initiatives like Eat Right India and policies aim to reverse the trend through public education, food labelling, and school-based interventions.

During the panel discussion, Dr Manoj Murhekar, Director, ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, and Head, Epidemiology Division of ICMR, also shared how the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) had led to significant outcomes in tackling high blood pressure.

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IHCI has used tools like the SIMPLE App to track and monitor patients. By 2024, it reached over 5 million people across 157 districts, earning global recognition.

Dr Gautam Sharma, Professor, Cardiology and Head, Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research, All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, said that yoga is increasingly being recognised not just as a form of exercise but also as a therapeutic modality.

“Major principles behind yoga’s effects on cardiovascular disorders are modulating the autonomic nervous system, reduction of stress and psychological burden and cardiac rehabilitation,” Dr Sharma added.

According to Prof Anurag Agrawal, Dean BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, India, is also on the brink of a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) epidemic.

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“Low lung function is a major factor in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is now occurring at much younger ages in India. While there is no cure to restore lost lung function, it is possible to slow the decline by promoting healthier habits and early interventions. Unlike sudden events such as heart attacks, COPD progressively suffocates patients over time, making it a silent but deadly threat. To tackle this, digital health solutions can play a key role,” he said.

Agrawal added that digital “vaccines”, behavioural interventions delivered through apps or platforms, could be used to motivate people to adopt and maintain lifestyle changes that protect lung health.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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