Representational photo
Hyderabad: Nearly two out of every five adults in Hyderabad are living with fatty liver disease, which happens due to excess fat building up inside the organ, largely due to lifestyle factors.
It was found during a pan-India study published in The Lancet Regional Health.
As per the report, at 40.9 per cent, the city’s prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is slightly higher than the national average of 38.9 per cent.
The research, led by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), assessed more than 10,000 adults across 27 cities.
In Hyderabad, nearly half of men (46 per cent) and over one-third of women (36.2 per cent) were found to have fatty liver disease due to various reasons including lifestyle.
Doctors link the rising numbers to sedentary lifestyles, irregular eating habits, high intake of processed foods, and increasing metabolic disorders.
Among major metropolitan regions, Delhi recorded the highest prevalence at 41.3 per cent, followed closely by Chennai at 41.2 per cent. Bengaluru reported 40.6 per cent.
In the study, obesity emerged as the strongest risk factor. Individuals with class-2 obesity had nearly 14 times higher risk of developing MASLD compared to those with normal weight.
Diabetes doubled the likelihood of the condition, while hypertension and abnormal cholesterol levels further increased the risk of the fatty liver disease in Hyderabad and other cities.
A 2025 survey by the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology found the disease in over 25 per cent of urban residents and about 20 per cent of rural populations. Among IT employees, prevalence rose sharply to 84 per cent.
This post was last modified on February 23, 2026 12:38 pm