Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Food Was Once Medicine, Now Engineered Addiction, Doctor Warns
Long ago in India, people believed that food was like medicine.
They thought eating well kept the body, mind, and spirit strong.
Today, many snacks and drinks are made in factories with lots of sugar, salt, and fat.
Companies design these foods to make people crave more and more.
They use cartoons and famous people to attract children.
Many Indian women and men are now overweight, and some children are getting sick with diseases like diabetes.
Doctors say this is not just people's fault; unhealthy food is everywhere.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF say junk-food ads hurt children.
A doctor is asking the government to stop junk-food advertising on TV and online.
He also wants schools to serve only healthy, traditional food so that food can become medicine again.
Nearly one in three Indian women and one in four men are overweight or obese.
Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in India have almost tripled in seven years.
Ultra-processed foods are marketed to Indian children via cartoon characters, celebrity endorsements, and cricket sponsorships.
The WHO and UNICEF warn that repeated junk-food advertising shapes children's preferences before they can make informed choices.
India's Economic Survey 2025-26 and the author call for warning labels, advertising restrictions, and a ban on junk food in schools.
- Who
- A Mumbai-based endocrinologist writing an opinion column, with Indian children and adults as the affected population.
- What
- A warning that ultra-processed foods are engineered to be addictive and a call for strict regulation of junk-food marketing and sales to children.
- When
- The article addresses the current situation and cites India's Economic Survey 2025-26.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Because nearly one in three Indian women and one in four men are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity, type-2 diabetes, and metabolic diseases are rising rapidly.
- Author
- Mumbai-based endocrinologist (opinion column)
- Overweight/obese women in India
- Nearly 1 in 3
- Overweight/obese men in India
- Nearly 1 in 4
- Rise in cardiovascular/metabolic diseases
- Almost tripled in seven years
- Proposed advertising ban
- HFSS and ultra-processed food ads banned 6 am–11 pm on TV, digital platforms and social media
- Cited report
- India's Economic Survey 2025-26
- Risks linked to ultra-processed foods
- Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and premature death
- Bodies warning on junk-food advertising
- World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF