'It’s not just the rice': Why so many Indian men have potbellies

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Carb Overload

With rice and roti dominating the plate, refined carbs spike glucose and fuel belly fat. Unused energy gets stored where it shows most: the gut.

Protein Void

Low meat and protein intake hampers muscle growth. Without it, fat takes over—and the belly becomes its favorite home.

Processed Trap

Sugar-laden, oil-heavy foods now fill Indian grocery bags. These gut-wrecking snacks spark inflammation and feed belly-stretching bacteria.

Hormone Havoc

Insulin resistance and testosterone decline join forces with age, pushing fat to the belly while muscle fades into memory.

Fat Genes

Generations of famine survival left Indians with “thrift genes” designed to hoard fat—especially the dangerous kind, deep in the gut.

Sit Still

Office chairs, cars, and screens dominate urban India. Movement is rare, so calories stay—and settle in the stomach.

Stress Belly

Cortisol surges from daily tension signal the body to store fat. Belly-first. Hormonal stress equals visible stress—right at the waistband.

Gut Gone Wrong

Bloating, bad bacteria, and food fermentation in the small intestine lead to stubborn belly bulge. A disrupted gut means disrupted metabolism.

Hidden Danger

This isn’t pinchable fat—it’s visceral. It clings to organs, hijacks hormones, and builds disease from the inside out.