Tag: Health

Did you know that a squeeze of lemon in your greens or dal isn’t just for taste? It actually supports your iron levels. Even a small amount of Vitamin C — like 100 mg taken with a meal — can increase the absorption of iron from plant foods by more than 60 per cent.
Pairing nutrients for better absorption isn’t just theory — it’s something we consistently see backed by research. How well the body takes in vitamins and minerals can improve noticeably when certain combinations are used.
This holds true for turmeric as well. Curcumin, its active ingredient, isn’t easily absorbed on its own. But when paired with black pepper — because of the piperine it contains — absorption improves sharply. Some studies show this can raise its bioavailability by up to 2,000 per cent. So what’s often thought of as a traditional kitchen habit is, in fact, a powerful example of how the right pairing can make all the difference in how our body uses what we eat.
HOW NUTRIENTS BACK EACH OTHER UP
Vitamin D and calcium are another well-known pair. Without adequate vitamin D, the body can only absorb a fraction of the dietary calcium. Meanwhile magnesium plays a crucial role in converting vitamin D into its active form — without it, even supplements may be less effective. Additionally, fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K need dietary fat for proper absorption; hence, they should be taken with meals that include healthy fats such as ghee, nuts and fish.
AVOIDING CONFLICTS
These principles aren’t difficult to apply — they can be woven into everyday eating with a little mindfulness. If supplements have been medically advised, understanding when and how to take them is just as important. Fat-soluble vitamins work best with meals that include healthy fats, while iron is often paired with vitamin C but should be kept separate from calcium. Magnesium and calcium should ideally be spaced out to avoid absorption conflicts.
These small adjustments — timing, pairing, and food context — can significantly improve how well the body utilises each nutrient. Following your doctor’s instructions and not self-medicating is key to getting the intended benefit.
NO SUPPLEMENTS WITHOUT MAKING ADVICE
That said, it’s important not to start adding supplements on your own without medical advice. They’re meant to address specific needs — not to follow trends or assumptions.
Taking unnecessary doses can upset your body’s nutrient balance and sometimes lead to side effects. In most cases, your body responds better to nutrients from real, well-paired foods than from isolated capsules. For generally healthy individuals, combining lentils with vitamin C or having fat alongside fat-soluble vitamins is a simple, effective way to support absorption.

We all know that our diet plays a major role in the weight loss process. Swapping oily, unhealthy food with healthy and protein-rich food can help you a lot in losing unwanted kilos. One such protein-rich food is curd which is known for its numerous health benefits. It is packed with a variety of nutrients like calcium, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-12, potassium, and magnesium which are beneficial for our health. Moreover, it helps in lowering high blood pressure and promoting a healthy heart. Yogurt contains several enzymes that can fight disease-causing germs and keep us safe from various ailments. Apart from this, researchers also claim that curd facilitates weight loss. But is it really true? Scroll on to find out.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, adults who consumed three servings of fat-free yogurt per day lost 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than those who simply cut down their calorie intake and didn’t bone up on calcium. Moreover, it is packed with several vitamins and nutrients, which keeps you full and satisfied for a longer period of time and prevents you from bingeing on junk food.
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to eat a good amount of protein, which is present in curd. According to USDA data, curd contains 8.5 grams of protein in a cup of whole milk yogurt, 13g per cup of low-fat yogurt, and 10g of protein in a cup of non-fat yogurt. Protein helps you keep full for longer hours, thus preventing you from overeating and gaining weight.
Improves digestion
Curd has a good concentration of pro-biotic elements that are beneficial for our digestive system. According to a research review published in Nutrition and Metabolism in February 2016, it was found that intestinal microflora plays a major role in boosting metabolism and regulating body weight.

A groundbreaking wireless implant promises real-time, personalised pain relief using AI and ultrasound power, no batteries, no wires, and no opioids. Designed by University of Southern California (USC) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) engineers, it reads brain signals, adapts on the fly, and bends naturally with your spine.
This groundbreaking device, detailed in Nature Electronics, represents a significant leap forward in pain therapy. While current spinal cord stimulators can be unwieldy and are hard-wired to batteries, the new device is designed to bend and twist with movement and is powered by a wearable ultrasound transmitter without the need for a battery.
It also harnesses machine learning algorithms to customise treatment for each patient. The work was led by Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering Qifa Zhou, who is also a professor of ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
At the heart of this innovation is its wireless power supply, eliminating the need for bulky batteries and complex wired interfaces that often require repeated surgeries. The UIWI stimulator receives its energy from an external, wearable ultrasound transmitter (WUT).
Ultrasound offers a safe, effective, non-invasive method for deep-tissue penetration. The device converts mechanical waves into electrical signals through a phenomenon called the piezoelectric effect. The core of the UIWI stimulator is a miniaturised piezoelectric element made from lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a highly efficient material for converting incoming ultrasound energy into the electrical power needed for stimulation.
“What truly sets this device apart is its wireless, smart and self-adaptive capability for pain management,” Zhou said. Source: ANI

Bloating, indigestion, acidity, and feeling heavy after meals – these are some of the problems we have all been dealing with frequently. Agree? Soon after you eat a delicious meal, you feel like a balloon about to pop. Not fun. This requires a serious solution. While wrong sleeping patterns, intake of more unhealthy rich/junk foods, less hydration and following no fixed routine for daily meals, are the major contributors to one facing problems with proper digestion, maintaining a balanced lifestyle is one of the most challenging tasks in today’s fast-paced lives.
Here are sone digestion-boosting foods
Pineapple
It contains an enzyme called Bromelain, which breaks down tough proteins in simpler forms that are easily absorbed by the body.
Kiwi
The fruit is rich in an enzyme called Actinidin, which eases the digestion of meat & dairy products.
Papaya – Packed with an enzyme called Papain, papaya supports post-meal protein breakdown, which ultimately helps in easier digestion.
Honey
These are full of enzymes like amylase and protease, which are extremely beneficial in the digestion process.
Ginger
It contains an enzyme called Zingibain that boosts protein digestion and nutrient absorption in the body.
Hence, adding these easily available foods to the daily diet will become a cost-effective and healthy process for digestion. Source: NDTV

A healthy gut is fundamental to overall well-being as it plays a crucial role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and the immune system, as well as in promoting mental health. The gut microbiome significantly impacts physical health, mood, and mental clarity. An imbalance in gut health can contribute to digestive disorders, food intolerance, fatigue, mood issues, skin problems, sleep disturbance and autoimmune diseases. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to keep your gut in good shape.
Eating right is one of the effective ways to maintain and boost gut health. Fermented foods, probiotics, prebiotics, and foods rich in fibre are gut-friendly foods that should be a part of your diet. Essential nutrients like magnesium and vitamin D can also support your gut and overall health in many ways. Keep reading as we discuss the power of this duo for optimal gut health.
Magnesium and vitamin D for gut health
Magnesium is an essential mineral that assists in numerous bodily functions, including digestion. It may also activate digestive enzymes that facilitate the breakdown of food components, enhancing overall nutrient absorption.
Studies suggest that magnesium may impact the diversity of the microbiota. Some animal studies also indicate that magnesium deficiency can result in decreased levels of beneficial bacteria, leading to compromised gut health and increased inflammation.
Additionally, its anti-inflammatory properties can alleviate conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other digestive disturbances.
Similarly, vitamin D is another vital nutrient that helps maintain the balance of gut bacteria. Adequate vitamin D levels support a diverse microbiome, which is vital for digestion and overall health. Vitamin D is integral to the immune system, enhancing the gut’s ability to fend off harmful bacteria and viruses. Research has indicated that sufficient levels of vitamin D may reduce inflammation in the gut, potentially lowering the risk of various inflammatory bowel diseases.
According to health experts, most individuals with gut issues are found to be magnesium and vitamin D deficient.
Food sources and supplementation
Magnesium rich foods include pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, whole grains, bananas, leafy greens and fatty fish. Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D. Some food sources are mushrooms, egg yolks and certain fishes.
Several foods naturally contain magnesium and vitamin D. However, deficiencies of magnesium and vitamin D are quite common. Therefore, you must get your levels checked and include supplements in your diet as prescribed.

Counting how much ultra-processed food someone eats has always relied on diet questionnaires and personal honesty. But researchers at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest medical research body, may have found a more objective way: by reading it in your blood and urine.
In a new study published in PLOS Medicine, scientists have developed what they call a poly-metabolite score, a biomarker-based tool that can estimate how much of a person’s energy comes from ultra-processed foods.
These include packaged snacks, soft drinks, ready-to-eat meals, and other industrially manufactured calorie-dense products and nutrient-poor products. This could be a breakthrough for nutrition research, which has long struggled with the inaccuracies of self-reported diet data.
“The limitations of self-reported diet are well known. With metabolomics, we can get closer to an objective measure of food intake and also understand how diet may be impacting health,” said Dr Erikka Loftfield, lead investigator and researcher at the National Cancer Institute.
The NIH team looked at blood and urine samples for 12 months from two different groups: one observational study of 718 older US adults, and one clinical trial where 20 participants were fed two different diets, one high (80%) and one completely free (0%) of ultra-processed foods, each for two weeks.
The researchers found hundreds of tiny substances in the blood and urine, called metabolites, that were linked to how much ultra-processed food a person ate.
Using machine learning, they created a special score called a poly-metabolite score that could tell how processed a person’s diet was.
These scores clearly showed the difference between when someone was eating mostly processed food and when they weren’t, the study authors noted.
The health risks of diets high in ultra-processed foods such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and even some cancers are well documented.
But quantifying how much people actually eat is tricky, especially when relying on memory-based food logs or questionnaires. People could forget, under-report, or misjudge portion sizes.

A newborn with low levels of vitamin D could be more likely to develop mental health conditions like autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia later in life, according to a Lancet study involving the University of Queensland. This is supposed to be the largest population-based study to date looking at vitamin D and mental disorders, published in Psychiatry.
Researchers assessed the vitamin D status of over 71,000 individuals, many of whom had been diagnosed with mental health disorders during childhood or early adulthood.
John McGrath from Queensland Brain Institute, who led the study in collaboration with Denmark’s Aarhus University and the State Serum Institute, said that the team examined six mental disorders: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and anorexia nervosa.
“We found evidence that people with lower vitamin D concentration as a baby had an increased risk of schizophrenia, ASD and ADHD,” McGrath said.
He added that their findings support the idea that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and early life may help reduce the risk of developing certain mental disorders later on.
“Vitamin D is important for a baby’s brain development, and low vitamin D levels are common in pregnant women across the globe,” he said.
To understand the broader impact of this research, IndiaToday.in spoke to Dr Himani Narula Khanna, a developmental behavioural paediatrician and adolescent mental health expert, who confirmed that a growing number of studies have drawn similar conclusions.
She referred to earlier research, including a 2016 cohort study in Denmark and another in Finland, which found that babies born to mothers with low vitamin D levels had a higher risk of developing schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism symptoms in childhood or adulthood.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a fresh uptick in global Covid-19 activity, with the test positivity rate reaching 11%, a level not observed since July 2024. According to the latest data collected from sentinel surveillance sites, the rise in infections has been most pronounced since mid-February 2025, affecting several regions, including the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific.
The increase is also coinciding with subtle shifts in the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants. While the circulation of the LP.8.1 variant has declined in recent months, the newer NB.1.8.1 strain, which is currently listed as a Variant Under Monitoring, is gaining ground, accounting for 10.7% of global sequences reported as of mid-May.
Despite the rise in activity, WHO said the trends remain broadly in line with patterns observed around the same time last year. However, the organisation stressed that Covid-19 still does not exhibit a clear seasonal pattern, and global surveillance remains inconsistent.
“Continued monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants and transmission is essential, especially as surveillance capacities have been reduced in many regions,” the WHO stated in its latest update.
The WHO has reiterated the importance of sustained efforts in Covid-19 management, calling on countries to adopt a “risk-based, integrated approach” as outlined in the Standing Recommendations issued by the WHO Director-General.
Vaccination remains central to this strategy. The WHO urged nations to prioritise vaccine coverage, particularly among high-risk groups, to reduce hospitalisations and deaths.
Health experts have repeatedly voiced concern over declining Covid-19 testing and genome sequencing globally, trends that have made it more difficult to detect and respond to new variants in real-time.
With no defined seasonal cycle yet established by the health agency, the virus’s evolution continues to challenge traditional outbreak forecasting.

The US has approved its first-ever blood test to help detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages, offering hope to millions facing the devastating neurological condition. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia in which a person’s brain begins to shrink as they age. This brain disorder leads to memory loss and cognitive skills.
Symptoms of this disease worsen over time. The disease is believed to occur due to the presence of two types of protein in the brain: amyloid plaques and tau plaques.
Currently, there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, but medicines have been approved that slow the disease progression.
The new blood test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, works by measuring the ratio of the two specific proteins in the blood (amyloid and tau).
Until now, these plaques could only be identified through costly PET scans or invasive spinal fluid tests.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval on Friday, marking what experts believe could be a turning point in how the disease is diagnosed and managed.
“Alzheimer’s disease impacts too many people, more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.
He added, “Knowing that 10% of people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, and that by 2050 that number is expected to double, I am hopeful that new medical products such as this one will help patients.”
The new blood test is not a standalone diagnostic tool, it is approved for use in clinical settings for patients who are already showing signs of cognitive decline.
But it promises a simpler and more accessible method to screen for the disease, which could allow doctors to confirm Alzheimer’s earlier and begin treatment when it’s most effective.
There are currently two FDA-approved drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, that target the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.