Expert explains: ‘Diabetes is a disease of childhood habits; the fight must start from school’

In Mumbai, a doctor recently examined a 13-year-old boy with Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and an unusually high Body Mass Index of 32. His mother explained that the boy's diet consisted mainly of chips, fast food, biscuits, and cola. After treating diabetes as an adult disease for 35 years, the doctor now views it as a disease stemming from childhood habits.

The World Food Day theme, "Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow," is highly relevant as global hunger and obesity rates continue to rise. India alone has 101 million people living with diabetes and 136 million with pre-diabetes. One in four children aged five to nine is overweight, and over half of urban adolescents' diets consist of ultra-processed foods.

The doctor believes that innovation must begin in schools, where children spend nearly 8,000 hours between ages five and 15. Five simple school habits can predict fifty years of health: breakfast, water, millet and fruit consumption, movement, and sleep. Implementing these habits through simple changes such as fruit birthdays, mindful eating, teaching children to read food labels, and creating safe playgrounds can have a significant impact on the health of future generations.