KATHMANDU: A data has revealed that obesity is the main cause behind diabetes in Nepal.

Some 16.7 percent of the diabetes disease is found to be occurred in Nepal due to obesity.

According to the World Health Organization, obesity is found to be a cause of diabetes among 16.6 per cent female population and 13.6 per cent male. Likewise dullness is identified to be another cause among 3.3 per cent population.

Doctors involved in this field said that the data have shown that Nepal is at high risk of diabetes.

According to the WHO, there is no exact data of patients with diabetes in Nepal. But, the 2016 Diabetes Profile has shown that 9.1 percent Nepali population are living with diabetes. It includes 10.5 percent men and 7.9 percent women.

Diabetes Specialist Dr Jyoti Bhattarai said that the changed lifestyle and consumption of asymmetric food such as food with high carbohydrate, salt, sugar and oil have caused obesity and consequently the emergence of diabetes as an epidemic.

"Diabetes is emerging as a formidable killer. We are between two highly diabetic prone countries India and China. It has also increased our challenge to overcome the epidemic", she said.

The disease is highly pervasive among those having obesity and sedentary life style in Nepal.