Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath sparked a conversation on social media after he shared alarming numbers about rising cases of obesity. Citing data from the country’s economic survey and warning that rising consumption of ultra-processed foods could worsen the situation, Kamath said “23-24% of Indians were already overweight or obese in 2019, almost double the roughly 10% recorded two decades earlier”.
In a LinkedIn post shared just a day after World Obesity Day, Kamath wrote, “Yesterday was World Obesity Day. I hate to be a complainer, but the numbers are scary,” while highlighting the alarming trends in obesity rates among adults and children in the country.
Childhood obesity on the rise
The post also pointed to a sharp increase in childhood obesity. According to data cited by Kamath, “about 3.3 million children were obese in 2020 and this number is projected to reach 8.3 million by 2035.”
He attributed much of this increase to growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), whose sales rose from $0.9 billion ( ₹7,500 million dollars) to 38 billion dollars ( ₹3.16 lakh crore) over the years, during which the obesity rate has almost doubled.
Kamath further noted that UPF sales grew by more than 150% between 2009 and 2023, indicating that consumption is accelerating rather than slowing down. “Even children under 5 are not spared. The prevalence of overweight jumped from 2.1% to 3.4% in just 5 years (2015-2021),” wrote Kamath.
Focus on lifestyle changes
Kamath shared lifestyle suggestions and encouraged people to focus on healthier habits. “Try to eat home-cooked food and get quality ingredients. The more meals you eat out, the more junk gets into your body,” he wrote.
He also advised people to question the source and quality of food, walk for at least 30 minutes a day, get seven to eight hours of sleep and limit children’s exposure to packaged snacks and screen time.
GLP-1 drugs can reshape healthcare
Kamath also reiterated his stance on a possible shift in India’s healthcare landscape, noting that several pharmaceutical companies are preparing to launch GLP-1 drugs in the country once the patents expire. These drugs are part of a worldwide weight loss trend associated with treatments such as Ozempic.
Reflecting on the development, Kamath said, “I just read that the big Indian pharma companies are preparing to launch GLP-1 drugs in India after the patent expires this month… I wonder what the first and second order effects will be.”
Nithin Kamath has previously pointed out that weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro can reshape not just lifestyles but entire industries. “People will eat less, smoke less, shop less and live longer. Will they trade less too? Insurance premiums will have to change and annuity payments will have to be adjusted,” he wrote, highlighting the wide-ranging second-order effects these drugs could produce.
Kamath also pointed out that much of the world — including India — is still trying to understand the long-term consequences of such drugs. “What we don’t know at this point is more than what we know about these drugs,” he said.
