CLAIM: 

Cut down oil intake by 10 percent to improve health.

FACT: 

True, doctors First Check spoke to agreed with the suggestion, and stated to us that if adopted this would help improve the health of people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural speech for the 38th National Games in Dehradun, Uttarakhand advised people to reduce oil intake to combat the increasing obesity burden and associated health risks in India.

"Till now if every month you used to utilise 2 litres of oil to cook food, then reduce it by at least 10 per cent... Every day we should reduce the amount of oil we use by 10 per cent," he said, as one of the ways to "save yourself from obesity."

"By taking such small steps your health can be greatly changed," he added.

Concerns over oily and processed foods have been around for a while and are well-established. For instance, the Economic Survey of India 2024-2025 cited a World Health Organization (WHO) report which showed that consumption of ultra-processed foods which are high in fats, salts and sugar had increased exponentially in India, "from about USD 900 million in 2006 to over USD 37.9 billion in 2019." It highlighted how such changing dietary habits were leading to a plethora of health concerns, including obesity.

A section of social media and celebrities were quick to praise Modi for his advice. "How true!! I’ve been saying this for years now…love it that the PM himself has put it so aptly. Health hai toh sab kuchh hai. (You have everything, if you have health)," Indian actor, Akshay Kumar, posted on X while sharing a clip of the PM's speech.

But is combating obesity as simple as reducing your oil intake by 10 per cent? Here are the facts:

First Check spoke to Dr Ramesh Bijlani, medical scientist, writer and former professor of physiology at AIIMS, New Delhi who agreed that Indians were consuming more oil than we used to.

"Indians do consume a greater amount of oil than we used to, oil consumption has increased over the years and this in fact has led to an increase in obesity," he said.

Dr Bijlani also said that the source of the oil is equally important.

"When we say oil, one needs to take care of the source of the oil, where does it come from in our diets? Most of the increase in oil is due to consuming food from outside and packaged/processed food. This is a severe crisis and needs to be of concern," he added.

On the PM's advice, reducing oil intake is always a good idea, according to the physiologist.

"All the fat which is required for our bodies should not be acquired from oils, we need to reduce the amount of fats we get from oils and start consuming it from other sources," he said.

These ideas were echoed by Dr Anil Arora, a Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist with over 35 years of experience and practising at Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

"Overconsumption of fat, especially the oil that is animal-based, is what leads to obesity and liver problems, etc," he told First Check, while adding that one should not reheat, and reuse oil and that vegetable oil should be preferred over animal-based oil.

"Trans-fat is another culprit that gets built up when oils are repeatedly used, as I mentioned earlier, that causes issues including heart problems, also predisposes people to malignancy," he explained. He cautioned that "less than 15-20 per cent of a person's total calorie intake should be coming from fat sources such as oils" while asking people to be mindful.

So, it appears that experts agree that a reduction in the consumption of oil is definitely a step in the right direction, and a step-by-step approach of reducing it gradually as suggested by PM Modi will be beneficial if taken up and practised by people.

Also read: EXPLAINER: Is Virat Kohli’s steamed diet better than boiled or cooked? - First Check