Unavoidable Sick
S is a close friend who lives in Mumbai. When I met her last, something felt off about her. It wasn't just the weight gain or sluggishness which were both concerning since she's always taken very good care of herself. I could not place it but would not stop bothering me weeks after I returned home. I nagged her to get a full physical exam done only if to get me off her case. After a few months, she complied and we learned that she had fatty liver disease. That was the first time I had heard of such a thing and then a few days ago I read this story on The Print
As it turns our, recent research has revealed a startling trend among India’s IT workforce: a vast majority of employees are showing signs of fatty liver disease. A study conducted by the University of Hyderabad found that nearly 84% of IT professionals have metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a condition linked not only to alcohol use but increasingly to sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, and metabolic factors. This prevalence is particularly concerning given the rapid growth of India’s tech sector and the perception that many tech employees are otherwise healthy.
Experts point to several lifestyle factors that contribute to this epidemic. Long hours at desks, minimal physical activity, irregular sleep patterns, and stress are all common in IT work culture, while diets high in refined carbohydrates and processed foods exacerbate the risk. Compounding these lifestyle issues, research suggests that Indians may be more prone to visceral fat accumulation even at lower body weights, making fatty liver a risk even for those who appear fit.
The health implications of MAFLD are serious. If left unchecked, it can progress to liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer, and it is associated with increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The condition often develops silently, meaning that employees may be at significant risk without obvious symptoms, underscoring the need for proactive monitoring and intervention beyond routine wellness checks.
Experts emphasize that addressing fatty liver in IT professionals requires a holistic approach. Regular liver function screenings, meaningful lifestyle changes including improved diet and increased physical activity, and workplace wellness initiatives are all critical. The growing prevalence of MAFLD among India’s tech workforce serves as a wake-up call, highlighting that metabolic health cannot be assumed based on appearance or body weight alone and that both individuals and employers need to take proactive steps to combat this silent epidemic.
S has worked in IT her whole life and the life-style stressors this story talks about, all apply to her. While she is very careful about her diet, there is no designated window of time in her day when she can exercise, so all her efforts to form a fitness habit that is sustainable have died out. This seems to be a big factor in her situation. Learning that she is very far from alone in having this complication was sad to read because some of the reasons why this happens are not possible for a person to remedy if they want to earn a living in India working in technology.