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The number of undernourished people in India has declined by 60 million in over a decade, according to a UN report which said that there were less stunted children but more obese adults in the country. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, released on Monday, estimated that almost 690 million people globally were undernourished (or hungry) in 2019, up by 10 million from 2018. The report -- considered the most authoritative global study tracking progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition -- said that the number of undernourished people in India declined from 249.4 million in 200406 to 189.2 million in 201719. In percentage terms, the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in India declined from 21.7 per cent in 2004-06 to 14 per cent in 2017-19, it said. The two subregions showing reductions in undernourishment -- eastern and southern Asia -- are dominated by the two largest economies of the continent -- China and India....

Yes, high calorie and junk food are among the leading causes of obesity; but a new study has presented yet another key reason behind obesity in children. Gut bacteria and its interactions with immune cells and metabolic organs, including fat tissue is found to play a key role in childhood obesity, according to a new study published in the journal Obesity Reviews. Not only the gut, but the mother's health, diet, exercise level, antibiotic use, among others can also pose as a risk factor in a child getting obese. "The medical community used to think that obesity was a result of consuming too many calories. However, a series of studies over the past decade has confirmed that the microbes living in our gut are not only associated with obesity but also are one of the causes," said lead author Hariom Yadav, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecular medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, part of Wake Forest Baptist. Obesity is increasing at a 2.3 per cent rate e...

Preschoolers, who are receiving government food aid, are reaching healthier body mass index and contributing to a steady decline in obesity rates, recent findings suggest. As part of a recent U.S. study, the researchers noted that according to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates dropped to about 14 per cent in 2016 (down from 16 per cent in 2010). The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reported. The findings of the study come as a welcome result for the health experts, following an upward trend of obesity in young children during 2000 and 2010. According to the team of researchers, all racial and ethnic groups recorded a noteworthy decline in obesity. "It gives us more hope that this is a real change," said Heidi Blanck, head of the obesity prevention division at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Read Complete Article

Excess weight and obesity in pre-pregnancy period bring changes in breast milk that can impact infant growth, a study claims. The study was published in the journal 'PLOS ONE'. "The importance of this study is that it demonstrates that breast milk contents can vary depending on mother's weight status at the time of conception and further impact the growth and development of breastfeeding infants," said Henry Nuss, lead author of the study. "Childhood obesity rates in the United States have increased significantly in recent decades," noted Melinda Sothern, professor of Behavioral & Community Health Sciences at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. "Although many studies have shown that breastfeeding may be protective against excessive weight gain during early life, we do not fully understand why," Sothern added. Breast milk contains pro-inflammatory proteins such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and interleuk...

A recent study suggests that evening work out can be more productive. The details were published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism. Research teams looked at the association between time of day and exercise performance primarily in mice. Because mice are nocturnal, one thing they had to do was translate mouse timing to human timing, by distinguishing between the active phase and resting phase of the mice rather than using numbers on the clock. Asher's group started by putting mice in treadmills at different times of day within their active phase. They examined the exercise capacity of mice upon different exercise intensities and regimens and found that overall exercise performance is substantially better in the "mouse evening" compared to the morning hours. These daily differences were diminished in mice that had mutant clocks -- supporting a potential role of the clock in the observed variance in exercise performance. Read Complete Article

Poor diet leads to hundreds of deaths in India annually, according to a Lancet study which found that globally one in five people die due to the lack of optimal amounts of food and nutrients on their plates. The report, which tracked trends in consumption of 15 dietary factors from 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries, showed that almost every region of the world could benefit from rebalancing their diets. The study estimates that one in five deaths globally -- equivalent to 11 million deaths -- are associated with poor diet, and diet contributes to a range of chronic diseases in people around the world. In 2017, more deaths were caused by diets with too low amounts of foods such as whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds than by diets with high levels of foods like trans fats, sugary drinks, and high levels of red and processed meats. Low intake of whole grains -- below 125 grammes per day -- was the leading dietary risk factor for death and disease in India, the US, Brazil, Pakistan...

A family that eats together, stays together, and now, according to a recent study, consistently eating breakfast as a family can also promote positive body image for children and adolescents. The study suggests that parents hoping to raise teenagers with positive body image might just find helpful tools in the kitchen every morning. "We know that developing healthy behaviours in adolescence such as eating breakfast every day and eating family meals can have long-term effects into adulthood. Children and adolescents are under a lot of pressure from social media and pop culture when it comes to physical appearance. Having a healthy relationship with food from eating breakfast and spending meal time with family might have a significant impact on well-being," said Virginia Ramseyer, one of the lead researchers. Researchers analyzed data from more than 12,000 students in more than 300 schools in all 50 states and Washington D.C. They looked at data related to eating...

Want a healthy heart ? Turning off the TV, being active and eating an energy-rich breakfast of milk, cheese and cereals everyday could be the key, suggest researchers in a new study. The findings of the study showed that people who watched more than 21 hours of TV per week were 68 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure and 50 per cent more likely to have diabetes. Compared to those watching less than seven hours of TV per week, they were also twice as likely to have plaque buildup in the arteries, which is associated with an increased risk of stroke. "Our results emphasise the importance of avoiding prolonged periods of sedentary behaviour," said lead researcher Sotirios Tsalamandris, cardiologist at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece. "These findings suggest a clear message to hit the 'off' button on your TV and abandon your sofa. Even activities of low energy expenditure, such as socialising with friends or h...

If you often share details of your personal life on social media , include your better half in the post to counter its negative effects on your romantic relationship, a study suggests. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Kansas (KU) in the US also found that sharing information online can do more harm to romantic relationships than good. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first of its kind to systematically examine how different circumstances can affect whether a partner perceives their loved one's online disclosure to be positive or negative. "Prior research has shown that self-disclosure positively affects offline relationships," said Juwon Lee, a post-doctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. "We wanted to explore whether that would remain the case in an online context, where users can share detailed information with large audiences -- a phenomenon that typically would not be possible in person,...

Consuming low-calorie food may have a protective effect against some diseases as the number of calories a person eats directly influences the performance of various cells, researchers say. The study on mice showed that a low-calorie diet can protect the brain from neuronal cell death associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy and cerebral vascular accident (CVA). "We are looking at how changes to the diet affect metabolism and how that ends up changing the odds of having diseases associated with aging," said co-author Alicia Kowaltowski, Professor at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. For the study, presented at FAPESP Week London, taking place on February 11-13, the research team divided mice into two groups. They calculated the average number of calories the group with no caloric restrictions would eat and then fed the other group 40 per cent fewer calories. Readmore

While it's well-established that eating fruits and vegetables can benefit physical health. A recent study suggests that it may also benefit psychological well-being. The research showed a positive association between the quantity of fruit and vegetables consumed and people's self-reported mental well-being. Specifically, the findings indicate that eating just one extra portion of fruits and vegetables a day could have an equivalent effect on mental well-being as around 8 extra days of walking a month (for at least 10 minutes at a time). Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Social Science & Medicine . "It's well-established that eating fruit and vegetables can benefit physical health. Recently, newer studies have suggested that it may also benefit psychological well-being," said Peter Howley, lead author of the study. Explaining the study, Howley said, "Our research builds on previous work in Australia and New Zealand...

High-quality diet , defined by low intake of animal foods such as red meat , and high intake of plant foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, coupled with a reduced intake of sweetened beverages, could be associated with reduced risk of diabetes, a recent study suggests. Diet is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes . Studying the impact of individual food items, however, does not account for the synergistic effects of diverse foods consumed together. Hence, scientists have turned increasing attention to studying the overall dietary patterns in order to capture the combined effect of a variety of food groups. Finding of the study were published in the Journal of American Journal of Epidemiology Five predetermined dietary patterns originating in Western populations, i.e. the alternative Mediterranean diet (aMED, an international adaptation of the eponymous diet), the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertensio...

The market is full of hair care products, but to amplify their results, it is first essential to make dietary changes to include vitamins and minerals that promote hair growth and reduce hair fall significantly, suggest experts. Arvind Poswal, Hair Expert and Hair Transplant Surgeon, Dr. A's Clinic, and Karan Gupta, Director and Men's Grooming Expert, Qraa Men, have given out some tips on foods that can boost hair health: * Eggs : The hair are build-up of protein, so it is essential that we always consume enough amounts to proteins to ensure augmented regeneration of hair. Eggs are the richest source of protein and are packed with high amounts of Biotin. The goodness instilled in eggs prevents hair loss thereby promoting the hair growth. * Carrots : This season of winter calls for us to consume ample amounts of carrots. The carrots help the scalp in producing the natural sebum oil which as this oil keeps the roots healthy. Not only this, carrots are enriched wi...

Avoiding greasy, fatty and oily foods is the key to a successful dieting plan. But have you ever wondered why we tend to crave the very foods that we try to avoid when  dieting ? Or wished you could suppress the feeling before it forced you into  eating junk food ? A recent study identified new brain circuits that may act as a brake on binge eating and junk food craving. Findings of the study were published in the Journal of Behavioral Brain Research. "Craving for foods high in fat - this includes many junk foods - is an important part of obesity and binge eating," said Jonathan Hommel, lead author of the study. "When trying to lose weight people often strive to  avoid fatty foods , which ironically increases motivation and craving for these foods and can lead to overeating. Even worse, the longer someone abstains from fatty foods, the greater the cravings become," Hommel explained. Interim Budget 2019

According to a recent study, those with inadequate access to food are likely to suffer from obesity . Food insecurity, by definition, is the inability to acquire adequate food due to a lack of resources. As part of the study, researchers assessed the link between food -related hardships and obesity. The study was published in the Journal of Community Health . Results showed that the individuals who lived in food desert (geographic areas where residents do not have access to supermarkets or grocery stores) are at an elevated risk for obesity. Together, these findings suggest that people who either do not have enough to eat or live in areas without access to stores that sell affordable nutritious foods are at greater risk for obesity. "The lack of access to food can be a major stressor on individuals, and our study finds that  experiencing food hardships is particularly consequential for the health of women," said Jackson, one of the lead researchers. ...