Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji
A significant nutrition study has pointed out that Goa has one of India’s lowest wholegrain consumption levels, and that it is among those states which have the high saturated fat intakes and insufficient plant protein intake.
The study published in Nature Medicine journal has positioned Goa alongside several high-risk regions as the
country confronts its shifting dietary landscape and rising non-communicable diseases.
The research examined how substituting carbohydrates with other macronutrients affects the risk of diabetes, obesity, and pre-diabetes.
It drew its findings from a nationally representative sample of 18,090 adults across 30 states and
Union territories.
Goa shows several dietary contrasts compared with its neighbours. While states like Gujarat record high whole-wheat consumption (over 27 per cent of energy), Goa shows one of the lowest contributions from milled wholegrain—just 9.3 per cent of energy, significantly below the national median of 16.2 per cent.
Goans rely more heavily on refined cereals, largely polished rice, though still less than southern and northeastern states that exceed 35–50 per cent of energy intake from
refined cereals.
On the protein front, Goa again has fallen behind. The state has recorded one of the lowest plant protein intakes in the country—only 5.9 per cent of total energy, compared with 10.2 per cent in Himachal Pradesh or Jharkhand.
Goa has performed slightly better in fish protein, contributing 1.2 per cent of energy, aligning more with northeastern dietary patterns than
western India.
This gap is notable because plant proteins—including pulses, legumes and nuts—showed the strongest protective effects in lowering cardiometabolic risk in the substitution models.
It has also shown that Goa exceeds recommended saturated fat intake thresholds (<10 per cent of energy). The authors have listed Goa among the states surpassing this limit.
They placed it alongside Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and several northern states where saturated fat consumption reaches 11-12 per cent of energy.
This is particularly relevant given that saturated fat replacement with carbohydrates or fats did not reduce metabolic risk, while protein substitution did.
The study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of 28 researchers associated with Indian Council of Medical Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, Lilavati Hospital and Research Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, and collaborating institutions.
The researchers used dietary data from every fifth sampled participant in the national survey and applied advanced nutritional modelling. All models were adjusted for variables including age, sex, BMI, physical activity, energy intake, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and abdominal obesity.
The study spanned 2008–2020 period, making it one of the most comprehensive Indian nutrition datasets to date.
It has found that high carbohydrate intake—regardless of the source—raised metabolic risk by 14-30 per cent, increasing the likelihood of diabetes, pre-diabetes, general obesity and abdominal obesity.
“Those with the highest carbohydrate intakes had higher risk of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes,” the paper has said.
Perhaps the most striking insight comes from the isocaloric substitution model. When the researchers mathematically replaced 5 per cent of energy from carbohydrates with 5 per cent from plant, dairy, egg or fish protein, the likelihood of diabetes and pre-diabetes fell consistently.
In contrast, substituting carbohydrates with fats—whether saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated—did not lower metabolic risk.
For Goa, these findings are especially relevant. While the state already benefits from a modest intake of fish protein, its high saturated fat dependence and low plant-protein intake indicate that metabolic risk could be substantially reduced by shifting dietary emphasis toward legumes, pulses, dairy proteins and healthier oils.
