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Importance of Nutrition for Improving Academic Score

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 10:20:56 +0000

In today’s times, when exceptional intelligence or gifted child prodigies receive media attention, and100% cut-off marks are projected as achievable targets; 95% marks in board exams are considered average. Children today are not only having to deal with peer pressure, and body image issues; but also, the pressure of scoring very high grades to get through a good college in their chosen fields. With mind-boggling competition, everyone wants their children to be exceptional achievers. It is no surprise that the foremost concern of most parents is pertaining to the academic performance of their children.

Nutrition And Cognitive Health

A child belonging to the lower socioeconomic status, not only has to struggle with a lack of educational opportunities but also a lack of healthy nutrition. This child will most likely go through their formative years having a poor diet which lacks most essential nutrients. This may lead to a lower academic performance throughout the school years, which in turn may lead to fewer job opportunities resulting in lower socioeconomic status. When the same child grows up and starts own family, the cycle continues to the next generation. On the other side of the socio-economic spectrum, a child belonging to an affluent urban family also deals with poor nutrition but in a very different way. More than one-third of such children and adolescents, aged 6yrs to 19yrs, are considered overweight or obese. This is because these children are overfed but remain undernourished. Studies show that more than 90% of children in urban areas, belonging to affluent families, consume more than the recommended amounts of saturated fats and added sugars. The consumption of fruits and vegetables in these children is also observed to be less than the recommended intake. Thus, even though they may appear to be well nourished, they have many underlying nutritional deficiencies. Some of these deficiencies impact the performance of these children in academics and extracurricular activities.

Relationship Between Breakfast And Academic Performance

There have been many studies that have looked at the relationship between breakfast consumption and academic performance in children, and most have concluded that eating breakfast improves cognitive functions like memory recall. A study was done in Norway which looked at 475 high school children, found that those who ate breakfast regularly had fewer difficulties in learning, especially mathematics, besides improved reading and writing. Another study carried out in China on kindergarten students found that kids who ate breakfast had higher IQs (intelligent quotients). This was independent of the education level of the parents, or the family’s socioeconomic status. Many similar studies carried out over the years have reported that skipping breakfast was associated with decreased cognitive performance (e.g., alertness, attention, memory, processing of complex visual display, problem-solving, etc.) among the students. Children who do not eat an adequate breakfast can also suffer from hunger pangs while in school, headaches, and stomach pains due to excessive acid, etc. This, besides being a source of distraction for children, can also lead to absence from classes, which in turn can affect academic performance in school.

Relationship Between Specific Foods And Academic Performance

Interestingly, studies have not just found a positive association with breakfast consumption but also between the quality of meals and academic performance. A study carried out in Scotland investigated the consumption of sugary drinks, sweets, chocolates, pizza, savory snacks and hot dogs with learning abilities. The study found that children who had a higher consumption of these foods had increased mathematical difficulties as compared to children who had a more nutritious dietary intake. Another study found that children who ate healthier foods with a low glycemic index had better attention span, word recall and reaction time than children who consumed food with a higher glycemic index that leads to high blood glucose levels soon after consumption Sub-optimal intake of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, has also been associated with lower grades among students.

Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Performance

Physical activity is another very important factor that affects academic performance. Today, many mothers with children as young as 10 years old, feel that enrolling their children in extracurricular activities will take time away from their studies and result in poorer academic results. On the contrary, studies have shown that students who are physically active, perform better in school, compared to children who are physically inactive. These kids not only have better grades but also better attendance and fewer absenteeism, better memory recall, concentration during lessons and lesser disciplinary problems. Physically inactive children who gradually increased their activity showed improved memory and cognitive function than when they were physically inactive.

Relationship Between Specific Nutrients And Academics Performance

There are specific micro-nutrients that have been associated with better academic performance.

Children with deficiencies of micronutrients like vitamin A, B6, B12, folic acid, iron, zinc, and calcium, have shown to score lower grades and result in higher absenteeism. Two nutrients, known to have the strongest relation to school performance, are iron and zinc. Iron is an integral part of hemoglobin which is the oxygen-carrying molecule in the blood. Deficiency of iron is called anemia. Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue or tiredness, lethargy, slowed growth and development, poor appetite, abnormally rapid breathing, behavioral problems or disciplinary issues and susceptibility to frequent infections. All these individually and collectively can lead to increased absenteeism and thereby decreased academic performance. Iron deficiency also directly affects the ability to undertake physical activity, which in turn can further affect performance in school. Zinc is mainly needed for the body’s immune system to work properly. In addition, it is involved in cell growth, wound healing and for the sense of taste and smell. Symptoms of zinc deficiency are depression and psychological disorders, impaired immunity, impaired growth, diarrhea, delayed sexual maturation, alopecia or abnormal hair growth, impaired appetite, altered cognitive functions and altered sense of smell and taste. Zinc deficiency also leads to poorer performance in school. This can be due to the fact that children with zinc deficiency are more prone to catching an infection and falling sick, thereby missing classes, their ability to memorize is affected, there are psychological disorders that can affect learning, etc. So, how can parents ensure that they give their children the best advantage for improving academic performance? Some of the suggestions are as follows:

Give them a nutritious breakfast.
Always have healthy snacks stocked in your pantries, so that kids eat the right foods throughout the day.
Don’t be fooled by “Low Fat” labels. Such products are usually loaded with sugar. Similarly, “natural” does not always mean whole grain or unrefined ingredients. Educate yourself about reading the labels and identifying what they mean.
Encourage your children to be physically active, it will not only help them improve their academic performance but also help in building their overall personality.
A good healthy balanced diet will ensure that your children do not suffer from any nutritional deficiencies.

Kanupriya Khanna, a Sr. Consultant Nutritionist & Dietitian specializing in pediatrics, is a private practitioner at Greater Kailash, New Delhi. For over 15 years, she has been working with mothers and children to create more wholesome food habits with the least restrictions and disruptions. She pioneers the science of healthy eating, using fresh ingredients and foods that are easily available and can be integrated easily into daily lives.

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Lonely People Run the Risk of Dying Early

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 09:35:01 +0000

Before we meaningfully or unwittingly leave our parents or acquaintances alone, we must be aware that the latest study has found that Loneliness is bad for the heart and a strong predictor of premature death.

Recently, at a scientific congress in Dublin, Ireland, a paper was presented which minced no words to assert that feeling lonely was a stronger predictor of poor outcomes than living alone, in both men and women. The study found “Loneliness is more common today than ever before, and more people live alone,” said Anne Vinggaard Christensen, study author and Ph.D. student, The Heart Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark. The soul-searching paper was presented at EuroHeartCare 2018, the European Society of Cardiology’s annual nursing congress.

“Previous research has shown that loneliness and social isolation are linked with coronary heart disease and stroke, but this has not been investigated in patients with different types of cardiovascular diseases.”

The study investigated whether the poor social network was associated with worse outcomes in 13,463 patients with ischaemic heart disease, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure, or heart valve disease.

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Data from national registers were linked with the DenHeart survey, which asked all patients discharged from April 2013 to April 2014 from five heart centers in Denmark to answer a questionnaire about their physical and mental health, lifestyle factors such as smoking and social support.

Social support was measured using registry data on living alone or not, and survey questions about feeling lonely – Do you have someone to talk to when you need it? Do you feel alone sometimes even though you want to be with someone? “It was important to collect information on both, since people may live alone but not feel lonely while others cohabit but do feel lonely,” explained Ms. Vinggaard Christensen. Feeling lonely was associated with poor outcomes in all patients regardless of their type of heart disease, and even after adjusting for age, level of education, other diseases, body mass index, smoking and alcohol intake.

Loneliness was associated with a doubled mortality risk in women and nearly doubled risk in men. Both men and women who felt lonely were three times more likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression and had a significantly lower quality of life than those who did not feel lonely.

Ms. Vinggaard Christensen noted that people with poor social support may have worse health outcomes because they have unhealthier lifestyles, are less compliant with treatment, and are more affected by stressful events. But she said: “We adjusted for lifestyle behaviors and many other factors in our analysis, and still found that loneliness is bad for health.”

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She concluded: “We live in a time when loneliness is more present and health providers should take this into account when assessing risk. Our study shows that asking two questions about social support provides a lot of information about the likelihood of having poor health outcomes.”

European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention state that people who are isolated or disconnected from others are at increased risk of developing and dying prematurely from coronary artery disease. The guidelines recommend an assessment of psychosocial risk factors in patients with established cardiovascular disease and those at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The study has highlighted growing concerns about the issue and assumes great significance at places where loneliness is turning into a bane for victims due to lack of support system.

The study assumes significance and greater attention as the world marks the International Day of Older Persons on October 1, each year.

On December 14, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons as recorded in Resolution 45/106.

The holiday was observed for the first time on October 1, 1991. The holiday is celebrated by raising awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society. This holiday is similar to National Grandparents Day in the United States and Canada as well as Double Ninth Festival in China and Respect for the Aged Day in Japan.

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Vision on Blindness Cure Needs Aggressive Approach

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 10:31:24 +0000

Despite current measures, blindness in the world is increasing by 1 to 2 million cases per year – the result is a 100% increase in world blindness by the year 2020 unless more aggressive measures are in place.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of visual impairment is either preventable or curable with treatment. As of 2015, there were 940 million people with some degree of vision loss. 246 million had low vision and over 45 million were blind with 60% of these individuals living in China, India and Sub-Saharan Africa. Majority of people with poor vision reside in the developing world and are over the age of 50 years. Visual impairments have considerable economic costs both directly due to the cost of treatment and indirectly due to decreased ability to work.
Also Read: Artificial Retinas

India is home to over 8 million blind people, another 50 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. The loss of sight causes enormous human suffering for the affected individuals and their families. It also represents public health, social and economic problem for countries, especially the developing ones, where 9 out of 10 of the world’s blind live.
Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment or vision loss, is a decreased ability to see to a degree that causes problems not fixable by usual means. The term blindness is used for complete or nearly complete vision loss. Visual impairment may cause people difficulties with normal daily activities such as driving, reading, socializing and walking.
The most common causes of visual impairment globally are uncorrected refractive errors (43%), cataracts (33%), and glaucoma (2%). Refractive errors include nearsighted, farsighted, presbyopia and astigmatism. Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness. Other disorders that may cause visual problems include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal clouding, childhood blindness, and a number of infections. Screening for vision problems in children may improve future vision and educational achievement.
According to Mr. J.P. Nadda, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, “The central government is committed, inter alia, to developing and strengthening the strategy of NPCB towards ‘Eye Health for All’ by way of preventing visual impairment through provisioning of comprehensive universal eyecare services and quality service deliveries”.
Mr. Ashwani Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare says, “Despite greater awareness and policy interventions, blindness in the world is increasing phenomenally and according to WHO unless more aggressive measures are taken, there may be 100 percent increase in blindness by the year 2020. This is highly alarming & needs drastic wholesale measures”.
This calls for reducing the backlog of avoidable blindness through identification and treatment of curable blind at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, based on an assessment of the overall burden of visual impairment in the country.
Optometrists as the first point of contact for primary eye care services and equipped with the requisite knowledge and expertise, thus create a huge impact in preventing this avoidable blindness & vision impairment.
Mr. Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State, Labour & Employment says, “The traditional core of optometry has been the assessment of visual health and management strategies centered on spectacle lens and contact lens therapy. This core, however, has expanded greatly over the past century to include a number of other important services. Today’s optometry professionals are well educated and well trained to provide the full range of services thereby enhancing vision, protecting the health and preventing avoidable blindness due to refractive errors and visual impairment by over 80%”.
Mr. Ashok Siddharth, MP (Rajya Sabha) & Member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare noted that “Optometrists today provide approximately two-thirds of all eye care in the country and are prepared to meet the growing needs of the public”.
“The role of optometrists in tackling the problem of refractive error and visual impairment is important. Timely detection of refractive errors and their correction by spectacle can not only improve the child’s potential during the formative years but also prevent complications associated with uncorrected refractive error” said Dr. Promila Gupta, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
The hard work and devotion of Indian optometrists within their profession and around their communities thus provide an invaluable service to millions of Indian citizens. Without their dedication, desire to serve the community and professionalism in delivering excellent eye care services; our fellow countrymen would not enjoy the optimal vision they have today.
In the backdrop of the above, Indian Optometric Association, the apex industry association representing approximately 12,000 Doctors of Optometry, optometry students, and paraoptometric assistants accessible to the common public.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anil Tyagi, President, Indian Optometric Association said “AIOC has become synonymous with providing participants from across India & abroad, an excellent opportunity to share their research, experiences & optometry advancements. They sought to generate, from the conference, a better understanding of the role of optometry in eradicating the 80 percent avoidable blindness in India and other developing countries. The key to success would be making primary eye-care services easily accessible &economicaaly viable for a common public”
AIOC 2018 Organising Secretary, Dr. Subodh Dixit said: “the 37th AIOC 2018 conference spread over 16 interactive sessions & 10 workshops showcased over 75 prolific speakers, nearly 600 plus industry delegates & 20+ exhibitors; thus, offering exceptional value both as a traditional technical conference & a global networking forum”.
Dr. Rajeev Prasad, Conference Chairman, AIOC 2018 added that “the All India Optometry Conference (AIOC 2018) engaged collective experience & expertise of practitioners, optometrists, industry partners, academia, and technology organizations to discuss, deliberate, share & learn the best of practices and leadership traits”.

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Rising burden of non-communicable diseases

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 03 May 2018 11:13:40 +0000

The contribution of most of the major non-communicable disease groups to the total disease burden has increased all over India since 1990, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders, cancers, musculoskeletal disorders and chronic kidney disease.

On the other hand, the DALY rates of stroke varied across the states without any consistent pattern in relation to the stage of epidemiological transition. This variety of trends of the different major non-communicable diseases indicates that policy and health system interventions to tackle their increasing burden have to be informed by the specific trends in each state. Increasing but variable burden of injuries among states.

The contribution of injuries to the total disease burden has increased in most states since 1990. The highest proportion of disease burden due to injuries is in young adults. Road injuries and self-harm, which includes suicides and non-fatal outcomes of self-harm, are the leading contributors to the injury burden in India. The range of disease burden or DALY rate varied 3 fold for road injuries and 6 fold for self-harm among the states of India in 2016. There was no consistent relationship between the DALY rates of road injuries or self-harm versus the stage of epidemiological transition of the states. The burden due to road injuries was much higher in males than in females. The DALY rate for self-harm for India as a whole was 1.8 times higher than the average globally for other geographies at a similar level of development in 2016.

The report says the disease burden due to child and maternal malnutrition has dropped in India substantially since 1990; this is still the single largest risk factor, responsible for 15% of the total disease burden in India in 2016.

This burden is highest in the major EAG states and Assam, and is higher in females than in males. Child and maternal malnutrition contributes to disease burden mainly through increasing the risk of neonatal disorders, nutritional deficiencies, diarrhoeal diseases, lower respiratory infections, and other common infections. As a stark contrast, the disease burden due to child and maternal malnutrition in India was 12 times higher per person than in China in 2016.

Kerala had the lowest burden due to this risk among the Indian states, but even this was 2.7 times higher per person than in China.

This situation after decades of nutritional interventions in the country must be rectified as one of the highest priorities for health improvement in India. Unsafe water and sanitation improving, but not enough yet Unsafe water and sanitation was the second leading risk responsible for disease burden in India in 1990, but dropped to the seventh leading risk in 2016, contributing 5% of the total disease burden, mainly through diarrheal diseases and other infections. The burden due to this risk is also highest in several EAG states and Assam, and higher in females than in males.

The improvement in exposure to this risk from 1990 to 2016 was least in the EAG states, indicating that higher focus is needed in these states for more rapid improvements.

Remarkably, the per person disease burden due to unsafe water and sanitation was 40 times higher in India than in China in 2016. The massive effort of the ongoing Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has the potential to improve this situation. Improvement was notice in household air pollution. Outdoor pollution worsened air pollution and remained high in India between 1990 and 2016, with levels of exposure among the highest in the world.

It causes burden through a mix of non-communicable and infectious diseases, mainly cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and lower respiratory infections.

The burden of household air pollution decreased during this period due to decreasing use of solid fuels for cooking, and that of outdoor air pollution increased due to a variety of pollutants from power production, industry, vehicles, construction, and waste burning. Household air pollution was responsible for 5% of the total disease burden in India in 2016, and outdoor air pollution for 6%. The burden due to household air pollution is highest in the EAG states, where its improvement since 1990 has also been the slowest.

On the other hand, the burden due to outdoor air pollution is highest in a mix of northern states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, and West Bengal. Control of air pollution has to be ramped up through inter-sectoral collaborations based on the specific situation of each state.

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Lifestyle diseases: A threat to backward states

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 02 May 2018 08:13:02 +0000

Lifestyle diseases like chronic respiratory and heart diseases are killing more people in India than communicable ailments like Tuberculosis (TB) or Diarrhea in every states, including most backward belts, says the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative’s Report.

Among the leading non-communicable diseases, the largest disease burden or Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) rate increase from the period of 1990 to 2016 was observed for diabetes at 80 per cent, and ischaemic heart disease at 34 per cent.

In 2016, three of the five leading individual causes of disease burden in India were non-communicable, with ischaemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as the top two causes and stroke as the fifth leading cause. The range of disease burden or DALY rate among the states in 2016 was nine-fold for ischaemic heart disease, four-fold for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and six-fold for stroke, and fourfold for diabetes across the country.

The key metric used in the study is DALYs, which is the sum of the number of years of life lost due to premature death and a weighted measure of the years lived with disability due to a disease or injury. The use of DALYs to track disease burden is recommended by India’s National Health Policy of 2017.

While ischaemic heart disease and diabetes generally had higher DALY rates in states that are at a more advanced epidemiological transition stage toward non-communicable diseases, the DALY rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were generally higher in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states that are at a relatively less advanced epidemiological transition stage.

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The report shows that communicable diseases constitute almost two-thirds of the disease burden in India from a little over a third in 1990. Despite the transition, which is associated with development, malnutrition remains the single top risk for health loss.

All states have thus made what’s called the ‘epidemiological transition’ there remain wide variations in their disease profiles with some having made that transition as early as 1986, and others as recently as 2010.

The first group to make the transition in 1986 included Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The last group to do so, accounting for the highest number of people (588 million), made the transition almost a quarter of a century later, in 2010. This group included Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Odisha. India as a country made the transition in 2003.

The Report’s executive summary says with almost one-fifth of the world’s population living in India, the health status and the drivers of health loss are expected to vary between different parts of the country and between the states.

Accordingly, effective efforts to improve population health in each state require systematic knowledge of the local health status and trends. While state-level trends for some important health indicators have been available in India, a comprehensive assessment of the diseases causing the most premature deaths and disability in each state, the risk factors responsible for this burden, and their time trends have not been available in a single standardised framework.

The Report finds that the Health status improving, but major inequalities between states Life expectancy at birth improved in India from 59.7 years in 1990 to 70.3 years in 2016 for females, and from 58.3 years to 66.9 years for males.

There were, however, continuing inequalities between states, with a range of 66.8 years in Uttar Pradesh to 78.7 years in Kerala for females, and from 63.6 years in Assam to 73.8 years in Kerala for males in 2016.

The per person disease burden measured as DALYs rate dropped by 36% from 1990 to 2016 in India, after adjusting for the changes in the population age structure during this period. But there was an almost two-fold difference in this disease burden rate between the states in 2016, with Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh having the highest rates, and Kerala and Goa the lowest rates.

While the disease burden rate in India has improved since 1990, it was 72% higher per person than in Sri Lanka or China in 2016. The under-5 mortality rate has reduced substantially from 1990 in all states, but there was a four-fold difference in this rate between the highest in Assam and Uttar Pradesh as compared with the lowest in Kerala in 2016, highlighting the vast health inequalities between the states.

Large differences between states in the changing disease profile of the total disease burden in India measured as DALYs, 61% was due to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (termed infectious and associated diseases in this summary for simplicity) in 1990, which dropped to 33% in 2016. There was a corresponding increase in the contribution of non-communicable diseases from 30% of the total disease burden in 1990 to 55% in 2016, and of injuries 18 %.

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Global nutrition needs swift efforts

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 11:05:15 +0000

Global nutrition crisis threatens human development, demands ‘critical step change’ in response – Report

Women’s health in India has emerged as a major nutritional challenge with the country wrestling largest number of anemic women in the world and the other having to tackle diseases related with obesity –that is on the rise, warns the latest Global Nutrition Report, 2017. It says there is malnutrition among adults globally.A total of 614 million women aged between 15–49 years were affected by anemia. India had the largest number of women impacted, followed by China, Pakistan, Nigeria and Indonesia.In India and Pakistan, more than half of all women of reproductive age have anemia.

It is a global issue that many women in high-income countries also suffer from; prevalence rates may be as high as 18% in countries such as France and Switzerland. Obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥30) is most common among North American men (33%) and women (34%), and lowest among Asian and African men (6%) and Asian women (9%).

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Overweight and obesity are increasing in almost every country and are a real concern for many low and middle income countries, not just high-income ones.The problem affects more women than men in all the world’s regions, reflecting a wider global gender disparity.

Hypertension is most common (28%) among African women and European men, and lowest (11%) among North American women. A quarter of Asian and Latin American men suffered from raised blood pressure in 2015. While more women worldwide are affected by obesity, the case for diabetes and hypertension is mixed. There is more diabetes among men than women in Asia, Europe, Northern America and Oceania, and more hypertension among men than women in all regions except Africa.

The world now faces a serious nutrition- related challenge, whether stemming from under nutrition or obesity, states Global Nutrition Report 2017.

The report found the vast majority (88%) of countries studied face a serious burden of two or three of these forms of malnutrition. It highlights the damaging impact this burden is having on broader global development efforts.

“The world can’t afford not to act on nutrition or we risk putting the brakes on human development as a whole,” said Corinna Hawkes, Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group and Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University London. “We will not achieve any of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline unless there is a critical step change in our response to malnutrition in all its forms. Equally, we need action throughout the goals to tackle the many causes of malnutrition.”

The Report calls for nutrition to be placed at the heart of efforts to end poverty, fight disease, raise educational standards and tackle climate change.

“We know that a well-nourished child is one-third more likely to escape poverty,” said Jessica Fanzo, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Food and Agriculture Policy Ethics at Johns Hopkins University and Global Nutrition Report CoChair.

At least 41 million children under five are overweight, with the problem affecting high and lower income countries alike
At least 10 million children in Africa are now classified as overweight
One-third of North American men (33%) and women (34%) are obese
155 million under-fives are stunted; Africa is the only region where absolute numbers are rising, due to population growth
52 million children worldwide are defined as wasted, meaning they do not weigh enough for their height

In all 140 countries studied, the report found ‘significant burdens’ of three important forms of malnutrition used as an indicator of broader trends:
1) childhood stunting-children too short for their age due to lack of nutrients, suffering irreversible damage to brain capacity,
2) anemia in women of reproductive age-a serious condition that can have long term health impacts for mother and child, and
3) overweight adult women-a rising concern as women are disproportionately affected by the global obesity epidemic.

“They will learn better in school, be healthier and grow into productive contributors to their economies. Good nutrition provides the brainpower, the ‘grey matter infrastructure’ to build the economies of the future.”

Rates of undernutrition in children are decreasing, the report said, with recent gains in some countries. But global progress is not fast enough to meet internationally agreed nutrition goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 2.2 to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

EmornUdomkesmalee, Co-Chair of the Global Nutrition Report’s Independent Expert Group and Senior Advisor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Thailand, said, “It’s not just about more money – although that is important – it’s also about breaking down silos and addressing malnutrition in a more joined-up way alongside all the other drivers of development. There’s a powerful multiplier effect here that we have to harness.”

The report found that overweight and obesity are on the rise in almost every country.With 2 billion of the world’s 7 billion people are now overweight or obese and a less than 1 per cent chance of meeting the global target of halting the rise in obesity and diabetes by 2025.

Rising rates of anemiaamong women of reproductive age are also cited as a concern with almost one in three women affected worldwide and no country on track to meet global targets. “Historically, maternal anemia and child undernutrition have been separate problems to obesity and noncommunicable diseases,” said MsFanzo. “The reality is they are intimately connected and driven by inequalities everywhere in the world. That’s why governments and their partners need to tackle them holistically, not as distinct problems.” Donor funding for nutrition rose by just two per cent in 2015, to US$867 million, representing a slight fall in the overall percentage of global aid. The report says funding needs to be ‘turbo charged’ and calls for a tripling of global investments in nutrition, to $70bn for over next 10 years to tackle childhood stunting, wasting and anemia and to increase breastfeeding rates. Crucially, donors are only spending 0.01 per cent of official development assistance on diet related Non-Communicable Diseases, a ‘disturbingly low’ level.

Pledges to invest in nutrition must be ‘concrete’ and ‘acted upon’, not ‘empty rhetoric’, the report said. Of the 203 commitments made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2013 those most likely to be classified as ‘on course’ are the UN agencies’ at 86 per cent, followed by ‘other organisations’ at 75 per cent and NGO policy commitments at 73 per cent.

The report found there is a critical need for better data on nutrition – many countries don’t have enough data to track the nutrition targets they signed up to and to identify who is being left behind.

Report says the world consumes too much salt. Intake varies by region, but no region had intakes within the WHO-recommended limits of 2 g/day of sodium. Asia has the highest intake (4.3 g/day of sodium), followed by Europe (4.0 g/day of sodium). At national level, only seven countries (Burundi, Comoros, Gabon, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda) have sodium intakes within desirable limit).

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Philips lighting research on eyesight

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 07:06:58 +0000

Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), the world leader lighting, has released findings that reveal that almost two third of Indians agree that poor light quality is detrimental to eyesight but just one fifth (21%) will actually take corrective measures such as buying light bulbs that are comfortable for their eyes. The survey also highlighted that for most Indians, eyecare is not treated at par with skincare and other health issues such as managing one’s weight and fitness levels.

First 3-D Printed Human Corneas

In Mumbai, durability of the bulb emerged as the highest priority while making purchase decision for light bulbs, with almost 47% of adults choosing it over other factors like price and eye comfort. While 49% of adults in the city agree that light quality affects eyesight, only 21% will opt for lighting that is comfortable for their eyes. The study conducted amongst 9,000 adults across twelve countries including India, also revealed uncomfortably entrenched mindsets with about half of the Indian population compromising on their eyesight by prioritising price (50%) and durability (48%) of bulbs over eye comfort, while making purchase decisions for light bulbs.

The situation is quite alarming considering the invasion of digital technology in our lives translating into longer screen exposure times, with almost 70% of Indians surveyed spending more than 6 hours a day in front of a screen and a similar number complaining of eyestrain! This also comes at a time as myopia hits record levels globally, with the World Health Organization predicting that one in two people will be short sighted by 2050, a vision emergency of sorts, in the not too distant future!

Ophthalmologists understand the gravity of the situation and are pulling out all stops to sensitise the general population to step up on their eye care quotient. They highlight a continued need to educate the public about eye care. In response to this situation the All India Ophthalmological Society has developed a number of proactive community oriented programs, guidelines and resources to enhance ophthalmic education amongst the public. The study of over 9,000 adults across twelve countries – India, China, USA, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Indonesia, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey – becomes even more relevant given the dire situation. It was commissioned to explore how quality LED lighting can help ameliorate the eye comfort problem amongst consumers. As per the findings of the study, 44% of Indians don’t visit an eye specialist on a regular basis while about three fourths on an average use weight (73%) and fitness (60%) as overall indicators of health. Clearly, eye care does not rank at par with other perceived health metrics. Quality lighting is not only related to longevity, but is also incredibly important when it comes to ensuring our eyes aren’t strained and feel comfortable. people should choose high quality lamps that are comfortable for their eyes.

PHILIPS LIGHTING RESEARCH

• While 49% adults in Mumbai agree that light quality affects their eye sight, only one in five (21%) will opt for lighting that is comfortable for their eyes

• Almost half of adults in Mumbai consider durability (47%) and price (45%) of bulbs over comfort for their eyes, while making purchase decisions

• More than half (53%) of adults in the city don’t regularly get their eyes checked; eye care does not rank at par with other perceived health metrics such as managing weight, fitness levels and skin care

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Menace of Non-Communicable diseases: A far reaching impact

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 08:49:26 +0000

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a major peril to the economic growth and development and human health of any nation. The economic loss to India is pegged at $4.58 trillion before 2030 due to NCDs and mental health. The vicious cycle of high out-of-pocket expenditure on health, poor economic growth, workforce productivity loss and rising disease burden are intricately linked to the rising menace of NCDs.

The South Asian region─with a population of more than 1.7 billion─is experiencing a marked demographic transition─characterised by declining birth and death rates and an increasingly aging population. This increase in longevity has also been accompanied by a rise in the prevalence of NCDslike diabetes (78 million cases in 2015). India has the second highest number of diabetic patients in the world, at about 69 million, after China, and this figure is likely to reach 140 million by 2040 and almost half of them remain un-diagnosed. A recent study showed that seven out of ten diabetics in India – especially those in the 20-24 age group – do not take enough steps to control their blood sugar level – even after diagnosis.

The Economic Impact of Diabetes, As per a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Health, the number of diabetes patients in the country is likely to go up to 120 million in next 20 years as against the current 70 million. On an average a diabetic patient spends about INR 25,000 annually to manage the disease and its associated complications. Beyond placing a financial strain on the patient due to treatment expenditures, poor management of diabetes significantly impacts the patients’ quality of life: it may lead to loss of productivity due to multiple hospital visits, elevating rates of absenteeism, diminishing the energy and focus of a productive workforce, and depleting critical workplace skills ultimately leading to reduced mobility and span of life. Diabetes related complications like kidney failure, nerve damage along with obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension make diabetes management quite complex for clinicians.

In this context, it becomes important that healthcare professionals have access to more educational resources to remain updated about how to tackle the diabetes epidemic. But due to scarcity of time and high patient load in South Asian healthcare facilities, medical practitioners find it very difficult to update their knowledge. Remaining updated can help clinicians offer better diabetes management options to their patients.

A Possible Solution: E-Learning Courses e-Learning programs can help clinicians in acquiring skills required to address the growing complex management of diseases. E-learning courses can be tailored to fit the clinicians schedule, delivering content right at the moment when it is demanded by the doctor. Interactive e-learning programs also offer peer to peer learning, thus enabling clinicians to discuss learning from key cases. Those e-learning programs which also offer the opportunity of contact classes, offer a richer and immersive learning experience.

An effective e-learning program will incorporate guidelines for determining the correct and appropriate blend of instructional strategies, including on-line learning, face-to-face instruction, and skill demonstrations, thus facilitating the learning of a clinician far beyond than traditional learning materials. Unlike traditional CMEs, e-learning can be designed to be self-paced, and research has indicated that e-learning reduces the learning time by at least 25-60% when compared to traditional learning, which can be an added advantage for time-constrained clinicians.

Intelligent e-learning management systems also adapt and learn from the learners’ aptitude and change and deliver a personalized learning experience. The right mix of video, audio, and text content formats help to ensure that delivery of content is mapped to the medium most appropriate & relevant to concept development.

Keeping in mind these perspectives, a Six Months Certification Course in Diabetes in partnership with Fortis C-DOC Hospital was launched by BMJ in South Asia. This course is endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians. This is a six months online learning course offered in two formats: with hands-on training and online-only – to cater to the learning needs of clinicians in South Asia.

Courses such as these will go a long way in knowledge & skill upgradation for clinicians in areas which the country faces a high disease burden. Such courses are clinician-centric and learner-led, and have been developed keeping in mind the real and on-ground challenges faced by doctors in South Asia.

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Healthy ageing promises healthy gut

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:20:18 +0000

If you are ridiculously healthy at 90-years, your gut microbiota is not that different from a healthy 30-year-old in the same population: Study

In one of the largest microbiota studies conducted in humans, researchers at University, Lawson and Tianyi Health Science Institute in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China have shown a potential link between healthy aging and a healthy gut. With the establishment of the China-Canada Institute, the researchers studied the gut bacteria in a cohort of more than 1,000 Chinese individuals in a variety of age-ranges from 3 to over 100-years-old who were self-selected to be extremely healthy with no known health issues and no family history of disease. The results showed a direct correlation between health and the microbes in the intestine.

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“The aim is to bring novel microbiome diagnostic systems to populations, then use food and probiotics to try and improve biomarkers of health,” said Gregor Reid, PhD, professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute. “It begs the question – if you can stay active and eat well, will you age better, or is healthy aging predicated by the bacteria in your gut?”

The study, published in the journal mSphere, showed that the overall microbiota composition of the healthy elderly group was like that of people decades younger, and that the gut microbiota differed little between individuals from the ages of 30 to over 100.

“The main conclusion is that if you are ridiculously healthy and 90-years-old, your gut microbiota is not that different from a healthy 30-year-old in the same population,” said Greg Gloor, PhD, the principal investigator on the study and also a professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Scientist at Lawson Health Research Institute. Whether this is cause or effect is unknown, but the study authors point out that it is the diversity of the gut microbiota that remained the same through their study group.

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INDO-GERMANY COOPERATION IN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 05:12:54 +0000

Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between Germany and India regarding cooperation in the sector of alternative medicine.

The signing of the JDl will enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional/alternative medicine. Initiation of collaborative research, training and scientific capacity building in the field of alternative medicine under the JDI between the two countries would contribute to the enhanced employment opportunities in the AYUSH sector.

The Ministry of AYUSH as a part of its mandate to propagate Indian systems of Medicine globally has taken effective steps by entering into MoU with China, Malaysia, Trinidad & Tobago Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, Mongolia and Myanmar.

The Ministry has taken many initiatives for promotion of Ayurveda in Germany with the recommendation and cooperation of the Indian Embassy in Berlin. One of the major initiatives is the collaborative research Project between the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS ) and Charite University, Berlin on Osteoarthritis of the knee. The results of the trial are encouraging and the clinical trial demonstrates significant improvement in patients. The study has been completed successfully and is under publication.

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Read all the issues of InnoHEALTH magazine:
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 1 (July to September 2016) – https://goo.gl/iWAwN2
InnoHEALTH Volume 1 Issue 2 (October to December 2016) – https://goo.gl/4GGMJz
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 1 (January to March 2017) – https://goo.gl/DEyKnw
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 2 (April to June 2017) – https://goo.gl/Nv3eev
InnoHEALTH Volume 2 Issue 3 (July to September 2017) – https://goo.gl/MCVjd6

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