Overweight and diabetes: problem is India expand (AFP)

MUMBAI (AFP) - was shocked, Sujata Budarapu Indian housewife when she learned that her two sons on the edge have been of type 2 diabetes to develop.

"It had still never occurred to me that this could be done." I heard that this occurs children outside India's other people but I never thought that it my own would be, "the 38-year old from Mumbai AFP said.

Sujata's children are not as an exception in a country more traditionally with malnutrition and chronic food shortages as overeating and weight-related disease.

India is still struggling to all of the 1.2 billion population but obesity and diabetes become a growing problem among the middle class, which have profited largely from a decade of fast economic growth.

"Obesity in any case has increased in recent years", said Dr. Paula Goel, from the Fayth clinic in Mumbai, the run is a weight loss program for young people.

"This is mainly because... they play on the fields and they spend so much time on sedentary activities that come with the wealthy lifestyle."

"Visit the malls on the weekends, eating junk food, it is obliged, obesity cause."

With 12 years, Sujata's youngest son, Saiprasad, watch three hours of TV every day and 66 kilograms (145 pounds) when he should be between 52 and 58 kg.

Her oldest boy, Sairaj, 15, tips the scales at 89 kg-- more than 30 kg overweight.

Both young love oil-rich and fast-food eating and are on medication to control their blood sugar levels. Visit the Goel clinic for the last three months.

Anoop Misra, President of the Center for diabetes, obesity and cholesterol errors in New Delhi, says that India has the highest number of diabetics in the world at nearly 51 million people.

But this number in the next 20 years by almost 150 percent could increase, he warned.

The high number of cases among South Asian people has been attributed to genetic factors, including a predisposition to store more fat.

Socio environmental factors, are now seen as playing an increasingly important role in the increasing number of cases of type 2 diabetes.

The condition that occurs when the body cannot use insulin effectively, which will provide you, that mainly as a result of excess body weight and physical inactivity, was seen mainly in the elderly.

High-fat, high sugar, fast food outlets are multiplying in the Indian cities, catering striving for a hard-working, time poor population, Western brands often as a visible sign of wealth elected to spend with his new-found cash.

"Around the world, with the exception of India, people bland, less spicy food, love", said Himank Doshi, medical student plugged in a takeaway from a stall on Mumbai's Chowpatty beach.

"they love the cooked food and all the food." But Indian people are less concerned about nutrition. "You focus on the flavour of the food, the taste."

This way of thinking, plus a reduction in physical activity through increased car use and a lack of open space for exercise is a dangerous combination.

A study of 4,000 Indian children in 15 cities in August last year released indicated that almost a quarter (23 percent) of five to 14 year of olds in urban schools were overweight, while nearly 11 percent were obese.

Overweight kids with diabetes are higher risk of developing heart disease and heart attacks, deterioration of eyesight, kidney failure, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Many of Alex's have already slight depression because of their young patients.

The stakes are high--and not only for the nation health: India spent about $40 billion for the treatment of diabetes in the past year.

For Misra is the Prävention--by better health education for weight loss clinics-low-cost.

"If we prevent that a case will we so much will save money, but as a treatment for life," he added.

"For a developing economy such as India, 100 percent it makes sense to avoid something rather than expensive insulin treatment and so on."

Sujata understands that life in the modern India of part of the blame for their children dilemma is - and this change is not always for the better.

"If you went to the previous generation we never out to eat, we ate food only home." Everything was done at home. Now there? s more money and more disease, because we have begun eating you more, "she said."