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Hyderabad: Residents of Telangana’s urban areas are spending between 28 and 34 per cent of their monthly food budget on fast food, placing the state among the highest in the country on that count and, according to a new study, putting a growing number of its population at serious risk of Type-2 Diabetes.
The findings are part of a study titled “Fast-food Attributed Diabetes Index Study (FADIS),” published by the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and the University of Alabama, US.
Among southern states, Telangana emerged as a forerunner in the study’s findings.
The report documents a significant shift away from traditional diets towards an “energy-dense, industrially prepared meals,” a transition that is driving a steady rise in Type-2 Diabetes diagnoses, particularly in urban areas.
The risk is especially pronounced among women. While 3.8 per cent of urban men are currently affected by the disease, obesity rates among women in Telangana were found to be significantly higher than the existing prevalence of diabetes. This is a gap the study flagged as a warning sign for future cases.
In rural areas, however, the correlation between fast food consumption and diabetes risk was found to be considerably weaker and statistically insignificant, which the study attributes to lower access to convenience outlets and different lifestyle patterns
This post was last modified on March 23, 2026 4:13 pm