The steps taken by the World Health Organization (Who) to eliminate trans fats from our global food supply are important. However, a key piece of the conversation is missing. What are the alternatives? Trans fats are bad for our health: the WHO reminded us this week that five billion people worldwide are exposed to the […]
heart disease
Battery drainage leading to a potential pacemaker crisis?
Indians are being warned their pacemakers could be a risk to their health by the country’s apex medical regulator because of battery drainage concerns. The Central Drugs Standards and Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued a warning to consumers that a number of pacemakers manufactured by US firm Medtronic could be faulty. The CDSCO joins other […]
World Hypertension Day: Avoid high blood pressure, know your numbers
Hypertension is a silent disease. It affects millions of Indians and responsible for 10.8 percent of deaths in the nation. This year, World Hypertension Day is being observed with the theme “Know Your Numbers”, highlighting the importance of screening for high blood pressure and ensuring it is kept under control. The occasion is observed annually […]
Too much salt is an enemy you need to control and defeat
First, it is important to understand the dangers associated with too much salt and to what extent we are exposed to the risks. A recent study conducted by the George Institute of Global Health, India concludes that “salt intake in India is double [the] WHO prescribed limit of 5gm per day.” Indians consume 9.08 gm […]
Air pollution is India’s apocalypse that won’t go away
More than two years ago, Greenpeace warned that India was facing an “apocalypse” because of air pollution. This week, we are given yet another warning about the public health catastrophe brewing in the air and festering in Indians’ lungs. This is thanks to the 2019 State of Global Air Report. In 2017, India lost 1.2 million […]
Health For Polls: How democracy leads to better health
When you go to vote this time, do consider health as one of the biggest benefits of democracy. When thinking about democracy and its advantages, positive effects on health are often not the first thing that comes to mind. Yet new research published in The Lancet suggests democracy plays a bigger role in better health […]
Heart data: Does it offer new hope for heart health?
Dubai-based researchers have pioneered a novel new technology which could offer hope for those suffering from heart ailments. Scientists at the University of Birmingham Dubai have unveiled ElectroMap software which could play an important role in processing heart data. Existing technologies can monitor the electrical activity of the heart and detect when conditions such as […]
Lack of forensic doctors highlights a national crisis
Shocking findings from Punjab have served to highlight one of the biggest issues confronting public health in India: the country’s lack of specialist doctors. Doctors untrained in the field of forensics perform eighty percent of autopsies in the state. This is resulting in “poor quality of work”, warns Dr D S Bhullar, president of the […]
What’s driving obesity in India: Calories or Carbs?
Let us investigate the reasons behind the rise in obesity in India. India has the third highest obesity rate in the world. If this fact isn’t alarming enough, then here are the details. In 1975 1.3percent of our population was obese. In 2014 it rose to 3.7percent and in 2017 it stood at five percent. […]
More full-fat dairy good for heart health, says study
A new research challenges the widely held belief that those who consume less full fat are at higher risk of heart disease. A multinational Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study found that those who consume less than 0.5g of full-fat dairy per day are at higher risk of heart illness compared to those who eat […]