Overview

• The peer-reviewed ICMR-INDIAB analysis, published September 30 in Nature Medicine, assessed 121,077 adults across urban and rural areas in 36 states and union territories including NCT-Delhi.
• Indian diets averaged 62% of calories from carbohydrates and about 12% from protein, with most protein from plant sources, very low dairy protein at roughly 2% of energy, and animal protein near 1%.
• A higher share of calories from carbohydrates was associated with a 14% greater likelihood of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes in this cross-sectional analysis.
• Substitution modelling indicated that shifting 5% of daily calories from carbohydrates to plant or dairy proteins reduced estimated risks for diabetes and prediabetes, whereas swapping in red meat protein or fats did not show similar benefits.
• Saturated fat intake exceeded the recommended threshold in all but four states and 21 states and union territories surpassed the guideline for added sugar, prompting authors to urge subsidy reforms and targeted public health guidance.