Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that 118 IT employees in Hyderabad were found to have metabolic syndrome linked to fatty liver disease.
Responding to a query from Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi—who cited a study highlighting that 84% of IT employees surveyed in the city had Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) and 71% were obese—Nadda acknowledged the findings and detailed the government’s response.
In a written reply, Nadda referred to a 2025 study published in Nature Scientific Reports titled “Prevalence of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease among Information Technology Employees in India.” The study involved 345 IT professionals in Hyderabad and found that 34.2% (118 individuals) had metabolic syndrome, while 84.06% (290 individuals) showed signs of increased liver fat, indicating a high burden of MAFLD among this population.
Nadda also mentioned an ongoing ICMR study conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Delhi, under the Indian Metabolic and Liver Disease (IMELD) Phase-I initiative. This study aims to explore regional risk factors for Fatty Liver Disease (FLD), Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and Hypertension (HTN) across rural areas.
To address this growing health concern, the Union Health Ministry has issued operational guidelines for the prevention and management of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) as part of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. These guidelines emphasize lifestyle interventions such as adopting a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining optimal weight, and reducing the intake of sugar and saturated fats. States and Union Territories have been directed to implement screening, risk stratification, and appropriate referrals in line with these guidelines.