Diabetes Day 2026: India's fight against diabetes must begin in early childhood 

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India needs to shift its diabetes response toward greater emphasis on prevention, beginning as early as pregnancy and childhood, rather than focusing primarily on treatment after the disease develops, said a Senior Advisor to Tata Trusts on Thursday.

According to the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) 2025 Diabetes Atlas, an estimated 89.8 million adults aged 20-79 were living with diabetes in India in 2024, with 43 per cent of cases remaining undiagnosed.

In this backdrop, Dr Anura Kurpad, Tata Trusts Senior Advisor (Health and Nutrition), said importance should be given to addressing metabolic health much earlier in life, including the influence of maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy and childhood growth on an individual’s future risk of diabetes.

Tata Trusts is one of India’s oldest philanthropic organizations.

“India’s diabetes challenge is beginning much earlier than we have traditionally recognised. The foundations of metabolic health are shaped during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood, making early prevention critical.

“Evidence from the New Delhi Birth Cohort has shown that rapid BMI (Body Mass Index) gain during adolescence is associated with a higher risk of diabetes in later life, while findings from the Mysore Parthenon Cohort highlighted the influence of maternal gestational diabetes on the subsequent metabolic health of children,” he said.

Therefore, there is a need to shift the focus from treating diabetes in adulthood to addressing metabolic risks much earlier, Kurpad emphasised.

“Improving maternal nutrition, encouraging balanced diets with better protein quality, reducing refined carbohydrates and added sugars, and promoting healthy childhood growth are essential steps. Equally important is making appropriate metabolic risk assessment and preventive healthcare more accessible,” he stated.

India’s diabetes response must move beyond early diagnosis to early prevention because the fight against diabetes must begin well before the disease develops, with healthier mothers, better-nourished children, and healthier food environments, added Kurpad.

Diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce insulin or does not use it efficiently. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose (also called blood sugar, the body’s main source of energy).

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