Malnourishment is higher in cities, says new study

Hyderabad: In a shocking revelation, recent studies showed that malnourishment is higher in cities compared to the rural areas. This is because they are ‘overfed albeit malnourished’, said Karuna Gopal, president of Foundation for Futuristic Cities.

Addressing a virtual roundtable on ‘Cities & nutrition – are we eating right?’ on Thursday, she revealed that rich people in economically thriving cities are choosing junk food while moving away from traditional cuisine.

Life and leadership coach Paritosh Sharan said that branding and marketing adopted by fast-food companies have a neurological impact as it attracts children and teenagers to consume such products. Educationist Anjana Krishnamurthy said that when given a choice of instant noodles and an apple, the children’s mind will choose the former. “The rhythm of life has changed adversely and the need for instant gratification has increased. We now sadly believe in living to eat and not eating to live.”

Laparoscopic surgeon Dr. Surendra Ugale, director, department of bariatric and diabetic surgery at Kirloskar and Virinchi hospitals, said “In today's world, stress has become a common part of everyone's life. How we can overcome this has not been taught to us. We consider taste appealing and find comfort in unhealthy food practices.”

Dr. Lakshmi Lavanya, endocrinologist, American Institute of Diabetes & Endocrinology, said that the marketing strategies by makers of food products have a psychological impact on teenagers. “The hype about consuming these products often results in bleak outcomes.”