Bigger not better: Anti-Obesity Day message for women

Marwari women, she said, were at a higher risk due to their food habits that include a lot of saturated and hydrogenated fats. Of the 80.8 per cent, more than 50 per cent were Marwari women, she said.

“Bengali women have a healthier diet but modern lifestyle has taken a toll on them. With red meat becoming popular in Bengali households, the women are becoming susceptible to heart diseases,” she said.

In terms of obesity, Kolkata fare better than Mumbai but lags behind Delhi.

In a study conducted by the Nutrition Foundation of India in 1998, only 32.2 per cent of urban women in the country were found to be obese. A decade later, the figure has gone up to an alarming 74.1 per cent, said Aggarwal.

“It is a myth that obesity is an urban phenomenon because 4 per cent of the rural population is also affected by it,” she added.

Reshmi Roy Chowdhury, chief nutritionist with Sri Aurobindo Seva Kendra, said most of her clients were women in the age group of 13 to 65.

“Junk food has become a part of urban lifestyle, which is the main cause of obesity,” she said.