The Information Technology (IT) sector is one of the leading drivers of the Indian economy, employing over 5.4 million people. Sedentary lifestyle is a hallmark of the IT sector employees involving long hours of sitting at desk, work related stress, inadequate sleep, shift work, unhealthy diet such as intake of high calorie diet, sugar sweetened beverages and lack of physical activity fuelling the risk of several non-communicable diseases including fatty liver disease called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD).
Prof. Kalyankar Mahadev, Ms. Nanditha Pramod, Mr. Bharam Bhargava and Prof. C T Anitha
In a major study conducted by the University of Hyderabad scientists Prof. Kalyankar Mahadev and Prof. C T Anitha along with their research scholars (Mr. Bharam Bhargava and Ms. Nanditha Pramod) in collaboration with senior hepatologist Dr. PN Rao and his team from the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) hospital revealed that about 84% of IT employees have MAFLD. Fatty liver is a health crisis which occurs when more than 5% of fat builds up in the liver due to various behavioral and metabolic risk factors as highlighted earlier. The condition, if unchecked, can progress to severe forms of liver diseases like cirrhosis and cancer requiring liver transplantation. The study also found that approximately 71% of IT employees were obese and about 34% had metabolic syndrome, a cluster of diseased conditions that increase the risk of fatty liver, obesity, diabetes and increased blood pressure.
Realizing the health risks associated with the IT sector employees, it is of paramount importance to devise strategies that translates for the better health of their workforce. Although, most of the major IT companies have an in-built health wellness program, it’s employees should take advantage and adhere to the existing programs for their physical wellbeing. Regular and periodic health check-ups and screening for fatty liver along with proper work-life balance and stress management programs may possibly reduce the incidence of fatty liver.
This study was funded by the Institution of Eminence (IoE) Program of the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the research work has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal – Scientific Reports by Nature publishers. The researchers thanked the participants of the study. Further, they expressed their gratitude to Prof. B. J. Rao, the Honorable Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad for encouraging translational research that has societal impact at large. His constant support and encouragement is a motivation to undertake collaborative research relevant to Sustainable Development Goals. The research team also thanked Prof. M. Ghanashyam Krishna, the Director of the Institute of Eminence, University of Hyderabad, for the timely and generous funding to carry out this interdisciplinary research work of public health importance. Without IoE funding, this study could not have been possible.
For further details may contact Prof. Kalyankar Mahadev on mkmd@uohyd.ac.in