Reducing salt intake is one of the most cost-effective strategies to boost health, said experts as salt consumption in India is exceeding safe limits, contributing significantly to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Doctors and public health leaders called for stronger physician-led campaigns, reformulation of packaged foods, and consumer education to curb India's rising salt crisis, at The Salt Fight 2025: Say NO to Na workshop organised by the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and other organisations. Addressing modifiable risk factors like excess salt intake is critical to reversing the country's non-communicable disease burden, which accounts for nearly 65 per cent of all deaths, said Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, of NITI Aayog, during the event, held in the national capital. "Reducing salt intake may seem simple, but it is among the most cost-effective strategies available. It is not enough to know the risks -- we must focus on what works. Practical campaigns and evidence-based solutions must be scaled urgently," he added. Further, quoting global research, Paul noted that cutting salt intake by 30 per cent could reduce hypertension prevalence by at least 25 per cent, helping prevent conditions non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. According to health data, the average salt consumption in India stands at nearly 11 grams per day, far exceeding the WHO-recommended limit of 5 grams. Excess salt is often consumed unknowingly through processed foods, restaurant meals, and packaged snacks. Dr Girish Tyagi, President of the Delhi Medical Association, stressed that physicians had a vital role in making salt reduction a part of routine clinical practice. "Salt reduction should not be a footnote during patient consultations. It must be central to our health advice, encouraging low-sodium options and greater awareness about hidden sources of salt," he said. Dr Atul Goel, Director General of Health Services, New Delhi, linked salt excess to broader issues in modern lifestyles. "Processed foods, refined oils, and excessive salt are harming us slowly. Even medicines and injectable products may contain sodium. Reducing salt by even 2 grams a day can protect millions," he said. The experts also discussed the importance of food industry reformulations, mandatory front-of-pack salt labelling, taxation on high-salt foods, and promoting low-salt recipes that do not compromise taste. The experts called on physicians, policymakers, and the food industry to work together in creating a low-salt culture across India to help stem the tide of preventable diseases. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 03:58 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSDo you regularly eat ready-to-eat-or-heat foods? Beware, a global study on Monday showed that the consumption of such ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can significantly increase the risk of preventable premature deaths. Previous studies have linked UPFs -- rich in sodium, trans fats, and sugar -- with 32 different diseases including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression. The new study analysed data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and the US). The findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show that premature deaths attributable to consumption of UPFs increase significantly according to their share in individuals’ total energy intake. The study reinforces the call for global action to reduce UPF consumption, supported by regulatory and fiscal policies that foster healthier environments. UPFs are ready-to-eat-or-heat industrial formulations made with ingredients extracted from foods or synthesised in laboratories, with little or no whole foods in their composition. "UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of the high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats, and sugar) because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours, and sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids, so assessing deaths from all-causes associated with UPF consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health," said lead investigator Eduardo AF Nilson, from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. The team initially estimated a linear association between the dietary share of UPFs and all-cause mortality so that each 10 per cent increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death from all causes by 3 per cent. Then, using the relative risks and the food consumption data for all countries (ranging from 15 per cent of the total energy intake in Colombia to over 50 per cent of the calories in the US), they built a model. The results estimated that the percentage of all-cause premature preventable deaths due to the consumption of UPFs can vary from 4 per cent in countries with lower UPF consumption to almost 14 per cent in countries with the highest UPF consumption. The team raised concerns that consumption of UPFs in high-income countries UPF while already high is relatively stable for over a decade. On the other hand, the consumption has continuously increased in low- and middle-income countries. This means that while the attributable burden in high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other countries, the researchers said. "This shows that policies that disincentivise the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods," Nilson said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 April,2025 11:33 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSScreening for both active and dormant tuberculosis (TB) infection simultaneously can help improve detection, which is key for better outcomes, according to a study. The new strategy, proposed by a team of researchers led by Queen Mary University of London, can curtail infection rates, potentially save lives. It provides a solution to problems with current TB screening, which does not always accurately detect disease. "Global TB control requires early identification and treatment of TB in risk groups. Our novel screening algorithms show that screening for active and dormant TB can be done simultaneously with high accuracy for migrants from countries where TB is common to improve individual and population benefits,” said Dr Dominik Zenner, Clinical Reader in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Queen Mary. Researchers hope that this new approach, published in the European Respiratory Journal, will inform guidance from global health organisations and key decision-makers on the most effective way to screen for TB. TB is the deadliest infectious diseases globally, with 10.8 million new cases and 1.25 million deaths in 2023. The infection can remain dormant in the body for some years without causing the symptoms of the disease but may cause active disease in the future especially among certain people at high risk. Accurate testing of both active and dormant infection is therefore of critical importance in screening programmes, explained the researchers. The team examined data on 13 different TB tests as described in 437 original studies and published systematic reviews. These data were then used to estimate how good screening tests are at both correctly identifying TB and avoiding false positive results. They found that including some immunological tests for dormant TB infection (TBI tests) added value to TB screening algorithms. TBI tests could also support earlier diagnosis of harder to detect TB, including extrapulmonary TB (disease that occurs outside the patient’s lungs) or TB in children. This novel approach challenges existing protocols for TB testing, which reserve TBI tests for diagnosing dormant TB only. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 April,2025 01:08 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSA team of US researchers has uncovered the cellular culprit behind age-related abdominal fat, providing new insights into why our midsections widen with middle age. Published in the journal Science, the findings suggest a novel target for future therapies to prevent belly flab and extend our healthy lifespans. Preclinical research by City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organisations in the US, has done this research. “People often lose muscle and gain body fat as they age — even when their body weight remains the same,” said Qiong (Annabel) Wang, an associate professor of molecular and cellular endocrinology at City of Hope’s Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute. “We discovered aging triggers the arrival of a new type of adult stem cell and enhances the body’s massive production of new fat cells, especially around the belly,” Wang added. In collaboration with the UCLA laboratory co-corresponding author Xia Yang, the scientists conducted a series of mouse experiments later validated on human cells. Wang and her colleagues focused on white adipose tissue (WAT), the fatty tissue responsible for age-related weight gain. While it’s well-known that fat cells grow larger with age, the scientists suspected that WAT also expanded by producing new fat cells, meaning it may have an unlimited potential to grow. To test their hypothesis, the researchers focused on adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs), a group of stem cells in WAT that evolve into fat cells. The team first transplanted APCs from young and older mice into a second group of young mice. The APCs from the older animals rapidly generated a colossal amount of fat cells. When the team transplanted APCs from young mice into the older mice, however, the stem cells did not manufacture many new fat cells. The results confirmed that older APCs are equipped to independently make new fat cells, regardless of their host’s age. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the scientists next compared APC gene activity in young and older mice. While barely active in young mice, APCs woke up with a vengeance in middle-aged mice and began pumping out new fat cells. A signalling pathway called leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) proved critical for promoting these CP-A cells to multiply and evolve into fat cells. “We discovered that the body’s fat-making process is driven by LIFR. While young mice don't require this signal to make fat, older mice do,” explained Wang. “Our research indicates that LIFR plays a crucial role in triggering CP-As to create new fat cells and expand belly fat in older mice.” “Our findings highlight the importance of controlling new fat-cell formation to address age-related obesity,” said Wang. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 April,2025 12:59 PM IST | New York | IANSHaving a good night's sleep and avoiding junk food is essential to keep the liver healthy, said Dr. S.K. Sarin, director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). He said that junk food, as the name suggests, must be put in dustbins as its regular consumption can significantly affect liver health. “The word junk food means it is junk. It has to be put in the dustbin. But if you think your stomach and intestines are dustbins, put that food inside. Otherwise, avoid, don’t use it,” Sarin said, in a post on social media platform X. Junk food which is rich in unhealthy fats, sugars, and processed ingredients increases the risk of obesity, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. These diseases then raise the chances of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and progress to more serious complications like cirrhosis and liver cancer. Sarin also urged people to sleep well and not eat late as it may affect the gut bacteria, critical for better health. Studies have shown that people with poor sleep are at increased risk of fatty liver disease. Further, eating late at night has been linked to a higher risk of significant fibrosis -- a sign of liver damage. It is because the body is unable to process fat and carbohydrates during sleep, leading to their accumulation in the liver. “Sleeping late and eating late-night food is not a great idea, because the bacteria in your intestines which process the food, will also sleep late. Restorative good sleep is the best thing,” the leading hepatologist said. Sarin advised people to not lose their health by running after “money, power and positions”. Instead maintaining “a sound healthy body and good night’s sleep” is essential as these are the “only two things which give happiness in life”, the expert said. NAFLD, currently termed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a chronic liver disease that occurs when fat builds up in the liver in people who don't drink much alcohol. It can affect people with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Fatty liver disease is emerging as an important cause of liver disease in India, affecting about three in 10 people in the country. In September last year, the Union Health Ministry released the revised operational guidelines and training module for MAFLD to promote early detection and help boost patient care and outcomes related to the disease. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
27 April,2025 12:46 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSJust three minutes a day of moderate activity may be enough to boost better heart health in older adults, according to a study. Previous studies have shown that as people age, many do not engage in physical activity, increasing their chances of experiencing a cardiovascular event. In the new study, researchers from the UK and Australia noted that doing household chores or shopping for groceries -- referred to as incidental activities -- may also be enough to boost health. Incidental physical activity (IPA) encompasses activities of daily living outside the leisure-time domain and includes preparing meals, keeping the house clean, mowing the lawn, or gardening. “Any daily IPA amount of vigorous or moderate-intensity was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk in a dose-response manner,” said the researchers from the University of Sydney. “Our findings highlight the potential cardiovascular health value of incidental physical activity, especially for people who struggle to do structured exercise,” they added. In the study published in the journal Circulation, the team analysed data on 24,139 people who wore wrist monitors that tracked their activity levels and who self-identified as non-exercisers. These were compared with those whose wrist monitors showed they engaged in regular moderate activity with those who were more or less active. The results showed that people who engaged in regular moderate incidental activity had a lower risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event or dying from one. More specifically, the team found that people who were moderately active for at least three minutes regularly reduced their chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other type of cardiovascular event. The key is to try to do several short-duration activities every day, said the researchers. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 April,2025 12:19 PM IST | Mumbai | IANSAdministering antibiotics within the first two years of life can raise children's risk of developing higher body mass index (BMI), according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland found that children exposed to antibiotics in the first two years of life had a 9 per cent greater risk of being overweight; and a 20 per cent greater risk of becoming obese than children who were not exposed to the drugs. However, the study found no correlation between BMI and antibiotic use before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or at birth. "Antibiotic exposure in the first two years of life has a stronger association with childhood weight gain than exposure during pregnancy stages or other early ages," said Sofia Ainonen, a medical doctor at the University of Oulu. "Providers need to be cautious about prescribing antibiotics for young toddlers, especially unnecessary antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections," she added. The study comes as childhood obesity is becoming a pressing issue worldwide, with over 159 million school-aged children diagnosed with obesity in 2022. Being overweight in childhood can affect kids’ physical as well as mental health. It can affect their academic performance and quality of life, compounded by stigma, discrimination, and bullying. It is also associated with greater risk and earlier onset of various non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics majorly impact the gut microbiota, which leads to obesity. The study followed 33,095 vaginally born children in Finland to see if antibiotics before pregnancy, during the perinatal period, and after pregnancy was associated with higher BMI at age two and age 12. The research was presented at the Paediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2025 Meeting, held April 24–28 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 April,2025 10:16 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSUS researchers have uncovered the role of Plasmodium falciparum -- a parasitic protozoan that causes malaria -- in the development of Burkitt lymphoma (BL), the most common childhood cancer. BL is a cancer that affects B cells -- an important cell of the immune system that produces antibodies. It has been associated with P. falciparum malaria since 1958, but the underlying mechanism of how this leads to cancer has remained a mystery. While BL is a rare cancer globally, (found more in equatorial Africa and New Guinea) its prevalence is 10 times higher in areas with a consistent presence of P. falciparum malaria. Five different species of Plasmodium can cause malaria in humans, but only P. falciparum is associated with BL. “Knowing that malaria has a direct role in increasing childhood cancer risk means that measures to reduce the burden of P. falciparum malaria could also reduce the incidence of Burkitt lymphoma,” said Dr. Rosemary Rochford, Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. The study, published in The Journal of Immunology, found significant elevated expression of an enzyme called AID (activation-induced cytidine deaminase) in B cells during P. falciparum malarial infection in children. Further, they found that a hallmark of BL is the translocation of a gene called MYC -- a genetic mutation where DNA breaks off one chromosome and attaches to another. The enzyme AID is essential for MYC translocation, which is why its presence in malaria patients indicates P. falciparum malaria’s role in BL, said the team. For the study, they assessed blood from children with uncomplicated malaria for AID levels and compared them to children without malaria. Uncomplicated malaria is when a patient’s symptoms are non-specific, including fever, chills, sweating, headache, nausea, and/or vomiting, without signs of severe organ dysfunction. AID was significantly elevated in B cells of children with uncomplicated malaria and found to be fully functional. The functionality of the excess AID also supports the role of P. falciparum in causing BL. “This study adds to the body of literature pointing to a critical role of the enzyme, AID, in the aetiology of Burkitt lymphoma and potentially in other non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas,” Rochford said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 April,2025 09:47 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSA study has suggested that age 36 is when the ill-effects of having unhealthy habits as a young adult -- smoking, drinking and physical inactivity -- start becoming apparent. Researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla tracked about 370 residents of the Finnish city for over 30 years. Data was collected via surveys and medical tests at ages 27, 36, 42, 50 and 61. Three bad habits -- smoking, heavy drinking and a lack of exercise -- can lead to declines in health in people as young as 36, according to findings published in the journal Annals of Medicine. The team said that unhealthy behaviours in mid-life -- 40s and 50s -- are known to increase chances of developing health disorders in old age. However, their analysis showed that the ill-effects of unhealthy behaviours remained similar through the ages 36 to 61, suggesting that the link exists already at age 36 and not only in the later phases of mid-life. Crucially, the ill-effects were apparent by the time the participants were in their mid-30s, the researchers said. "Our findings highlight the importance of tackling risky health behaviours, such as smoking, heavy drinking and physical inactivity, as early as possible to prevent the damage they do to from building up over the years, culminating in poor mental and physical health later in later life," lead author Tiia Kekalainen, a health scientist at the University of Jyvaskyla's Gerontology Research Center. However, following a healthy lifestyle can cut one's risk of developing non-communicable disorders such as heart disease and cancer, and reduce chances of an early death, Kekalainen added. A lack of exercise was particularly linked to a poor physical health, and smoking to a poor mental health. A heavy consumption of alcohol was, however, associated with declines in both mental and physical health. The three unhealthy behaviours were seen to produce stronger ill-effects over a longer term, through increasing depressive symptoms and metabolic risks. "The findings of the present study suggest that the associations were mainly similar across time from age 36 to 61. Thus, the cumulative association of earlier risky behaviours exists already at age 36 and not only in the later phases of midlife," the authors wrote. The study's participants were part of a larger long-term research, in which children born in Jyvaskyla in 1959 were followed until their early 60s. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2025 04:20 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIWhile eating chicken, known as lean meat, has long been considered healthier than red meat, a new study shows that regularly eating poultry may lead to early death due to gastrointestinal or digestive system cancers. The study, led by researchers at the National Institute of Gastroenterology, in Italy, is based on an analysis of health-related data for 4,869 adults living in Italy over 20-years. The findings showed that the risk of digestive system cancers including oesophageal, stomach, colon, pancreatic, and liver, is higher for men than for women. Poultry meat (mainly chicken) is currently among the most widely consumed meats worldwide. It is reasonably affordable and accessible, explaining the high global consumption rates. Prior research has suggested chicken as a protein source as it poses less risk of contributing to cardiovascular disease and some gastrointestinal cancers. The new study, published in the journal Nutrients, showed that people who ate more than 300 grams of poultry per week are likely to experience a higher incidence of gastrointestinal cancer development and also early deaths. Moreover, the risk of death after consuming over 300 grams of poultry per week was 27 per cent higher compared to people who ate just 100 grams of poultry per week or less. “In our opinion, it is important to learn more about the long-term effects of this food category, white meat, that is widely consumed by the world population who, perhaps mistakenly, consider it healthy in absolute terms," said the researchers. “We believe it is beneficial to moderate poultry consumption, alternating it with other equally valuable protein sources, such as fish. We also believe it is essential to focus more on cooking methods, avoiding high temperatures and prolonged cooking times,” they added. However, the team urged for further studies to confirm the findings and learn more about the effects of processed poultry. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2025 03:09 PM IST | Mumbai | IANSThe government is continuously working towards achieving the goal of 'Malaria Free India', said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Singh Patel on World Malaria Day on Friday. World Malaria Day is observed every year on April 25 to raise awareness against the disease. This year's theme “Malaria ends with us: Reinvest, reimagine, reignite” aims to re-energise efforts at all levels, from global policy to community action, to accelerate progress toward malaria elimination. “On the occasion of World Malaria Day, it is the responsibility of all of us to spread awareness about a deadly disease like malaria and make collective efforts to eradicate it,” Patel shared in a post on social media platform X. “The Government of India is continuously working towards the goal of 'Malaria Free India'. Let us all together make this campaign a success,” she added. Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. India aims to eliminate malaria by 2030. The government is committed to achieving zero indigenous cases by 2027. The latest World Malaria Report 2024, released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in December last year, showed that India achieved major progress in malaria elimination, with a 69 per cent drop in cases and a 68 per cent reduction in deaths between 2017 and 2023. Contributing just 0.8 per cent of global cases in 2023, India also exited from the WHO's High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024, marking a significant public health achievement. "Every year millions of people are affected by malaria, whereas it is a preventable and curable disease," Patel said. To prevent the disease, she urged people to "keep cleanliness, protect yourself from mosquitoes, wear full sleeve clothes, use a mosquito net and repellent. Get yourself checked immediately if you have a fever." Globally, about 2.2 billion cases of malaria and 12.7 million deaths due to the mosquito-borne disease have been averted since 2000, said WHO. To date, the WHO has certified 45 countries and 1 territory as malaria-free, and many countries with a low burden of malaria continue to move steadily towards the goal of elimination. Of the remaining 83 malaria-endemic countries, 25 reported fewer than 10 cases of the disease in 2023. Despite significant gains, malaria remains a major public health challenge, with nearly 600,000 lives lost to the disease in 2023 alone. The African Region is hardest hit, shouldering an estimated 95 per cent of the malaria burden each year. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 April,2025 11:58 AM IST | Mumbai | IANSADVERTISEMENT
