If you’ve followed Indian celebrity or business news over the past decade, you’ve almost certainly come across discussions about the youngest Ambani sibling, Anant. One of the most common questions that pops up in these conversations is why did Anant Ambani gain so much weight during his late teens and early 20s. I’ve seen hundreds of viral social media posts and forum threads making wild, unsubstantiated claims about his health during that period, most of them rooted in gossip rather than fact. This piece only draws on official statements from the Ambani family, verified medical reports, and trusted mainstream news sources to break down the real, confirmed reasons behind his weight gain, plus key context most people miss.
Core Medical Reasons Why Did Anant Ambani Gain So Much Weight
The biggest confirmed factor behind Anant’s weight gain is his long-term treatment for chronic asthma, a condition he has lived with since early childhood. For years, his medical team prescribed high doses of corticosteroids to control his severe asthma symptoms, which would often flare up to dangerous levels if left unmanaged. Long-term corticosteroid use is linked to an average weight gain of 4-10 kg in the first year of treatment, per peer-reviewed clinical research, with higher gains common for people on extended courses of the medication.
Steroids work in multiple ways to cause unintended weight gain. First, they drastically increase appetite, making it much harder to stick to a calorie-controlled diet even if you’re actively trying to. They also slow down your resting metabolic rate, meaning your body burns fewer calories at rest than it normally would. On top of that, steroids cause water retention and redistribute fat stores to areas like the face, abdomen, and back, which can make weight gain more visible even if the number on the scale doesn’t jump that high. Anant’s medical team confirmed that his steroid dosage was adjusted multiple times over the years, but the side effects persisted for most of his late teens.
Unverified Myths vs Confirmed Facts About His Weight Gain
As Anant’s public appearances became more frequent in his early 20s, social media was flooded with false rumors about the cause of his weight gain, most of them shaming him for choices he never actually made. A lot of people assumed he was lazy, ate nothing but junk food, or refused to follow medical advice, none of which hold up to scrutiny. None of the rumors linking his weight gain to poor lifestyle choices have ever been confirmed by his family or official medical team.
Some of the most common myths you might have seen online include:
- Myth: Anant Ambani gained weight because he did not exercise regularly. In reality, he worked with personal trainers and physiotherapists from a young age to stay active within the limits of his asthma condition.
- Myth: His weight gain was a sign of poor self-discipline. Weight gain from steroid use is largely out of a person’s control, even if they follow a strict diet and exercise routine.
- Myth: He refused to follow diet plans suggested by his doctors. The Ambani family hired some of the top nutritionists in the country to create custom meal plans for Anant that accounted for his steroid-induced appetite spikes.
It’s easy to see why these myths spread so fast. Most people associate weight gain with personal choices, so they don’t stop to consider that there might be underlying medical factors at play. These rumors caused a lot of unnecessary harm to Anant and his family at a time when they were already navigating serious health challenges.
How His Weight Gain Impacted His Public and Private Life
For several years in his early 20s, Anant stepped back almost entirely from public events and family functions that were covered by the media. His family later revealed that the constant trolling and negative comments about his appearance took a huge toll on his mental health, and they wanted to give him space to focus on his physical and emotional wellbeing without public scrutiny. Online trolling of people with medical-related weight gain is a form of ableism that can cause severe long-term mental health harm, including increased risk of anxiety, depression, and social isolation.
During this period, his family worked with a team of 15+ specialists, including endocrinologists, nutritionists, fitness trainers, and mental health experts, to create a holistic health plan for him once his asthma symptoms were stable enough to reduce his steroid dosage. The plan was designed to be slow and sustainable, with no crash diets or extreme exercise routines that could trigger his asthma again. Anant later said in a rare public statement that the support of his family was the only thing that got him through the hardest parts of that period, when he felt like the entire world was judging him for something he couldn’t control.
When he made his first public appearance after losing over 100 kg in 2017, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, but it also sparked a whole new wave of discussions about his prior weight gain. A lot of people used his transformation to push harmful “no excuse” weight loss narratives, completely ignoring the fact that he only lost the weight once his steroid treatment was adjusted and he had access to a team of world-class medical professionals.
Key Takeaways From Anant Ambani's Weight Journey
Anant’s experience with weight gain and subsequent weight loss offers a lot of important lessons that apply to everyone, not just high-profile celebrities. First and foremost, it’s a reminder that you never know what someone is going through behind closed doors, especially when it comes to their health. Any weight loss journey should always be supervised by licensed medical professionals to avoid health risks, especially if you have underlying chronic conditions.
It also highlights how harmful weight stigma can be, especially when it’s directed at people with medical conditions that cause weight gain. A lot of people still believe that weight is entirely a choice, but that’s simply not true for millions of people living with conditions like hypothyroidism, PCOS, Cushing’s syndrome, or people on long-term steroid treatment like Anant was. Judging someone's appearance without knowing their personal health context is never okay, and it can cause far more harm than you might realize.
Another key takeaway is that sustainable weight loss takes time and consistent effort, not quick fixes. Anant took 18 months to lose 108 kg, which works out to around 1.2 kg per week, the exact rate that most medical professionals recommend for safe, long-term weight loss. He didn’t use any fad diets or extreme workout routines, and he worked closely with his team to adjust his plan as needed to make sure it didn’t trigger his asthma symptoms.
Today, Anant is a vocal advocate for body positivity and better awareness of the side effects of chronic illness treatment. He has spoken at multiple events about his experience with weight stigma, and he has funded multiple research projects focused on safer asthma treatments that don’t have severe weight gain side effects for long-term users.
At the end of the day, when you see people online debating why did Anant Ambani gain so much weight, it’s important to separate fact from harmful gossip. His weight gain was not a choice, it was a side effect of life-saving medical treatment that he needed to manage a severe chronic health condition. His journey is a powerful reminder to be kind to people, even when you don’t understand their circumstances, and to never judge someone based solely on their appearance. If you or someone you love is dealing with unintended weight gain from medical treatment, know that you’re not alone, and it’s always okay to ask your doctor for support and resources to help you manage it.