The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
sri lanka has banned the export of a valuable medicinal plant, kothala himbutu or Salacia reticulate, widely used as a cure for diabetes in the country and also in Japan. The ban order was issued on June 15, 2006 and restricts the export of kothala himbutu except in the case …
In April this year researchers Tim Lang, Geoff Rayner and Elizabeth Kaelin, from the Centre for Food Policy, City University, London, came out with a report: The food industry, diet, physical activity and health: a review of reported commitments and practice of 25 of the world's largest food companies. It …
FATS Jim Mann, professor of human nutrition and medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has reviewed several studies which claim that when people cut down on sugars and replace it with starchy foods such as potatoes for five months, they lose weight. Also people with high-fat diets …
SC clears mill land sale: The Supreme Court (SC) has cleared the sale of mill land in Mumbai, setting aside an earlier Bombay High court order. The SC has upheld the Maharashtra government's amendment to the rules for development of the
A degraded environment brings with it a set of health problems - some new and some, which have posed a challenge over the years. Presenting Body Burden, a compilation of reports from Down to Earth on the health impacts of environment pollution in India.
The objectives of the study were to study the relationships of insulin resistance with generalized and abdominal obesity, and body fat patterning in urban postpubertal Asian Indian children.
The World Obesity Congress and Expo held in Washington dc, usa on July 12-13 this year was all about anti-obesity drugs: educating industry about new research on it, and finding ways to enhance business in this area. The Expo's focus was extremely timely: two days later, the us department of …
Although obesity is today a global pandemic, research on the disease in India is still nascent. This worries experts: nearly 15-30 per cent of the country’s urban population and four to eight per cent of the rural population is either overweight or obese, with children forming 16-18 per cent in …
I was obese and overweight but never bothered to lose weight. For, I suffered no pain or illness. I did make some halfhearted efforts to lose weight (such as cycling, walking and swimming), only to give them up after a few days. The idea of doing physical exercises early in …
high-smoking zone: The number of smokers in Himachal Pradesh (HP) is alarmingly high. This despite the state having the second highest literacy rate in the country. Forty-five per cent of HP's population consists of smokers, according to Surender Kashyap, the head of the chest and tuberculosis department at Shimla's Indira …
On May 18, 2004, when governments of 192 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries gather at Geneva for the world health assembly, one Mrs Sharma in one town, Jabalpur perhaps, will be making her way purposefully to the new swanky fast food joint in Sadar Bazar. As she delightfully feeds …
WHO has time and again said that the strategy is based on scientific evidence, successful campaigns against NCDs in several countries and on recommendations from health and nutrition experts from across the globe. But the sugar and food industry and their lobbyists have tried to discredit the strategy by saying …
Obesity has become a worldwide concern because people in each and every nation are falling prey to it. WHO defines obesity as a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 kg/m2 and overweight as a BMI of at least 25 kg/m2 (BMI is calculated by weight in kg divided …
Struggling with non-communicable diseases, the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) set up a study group in January 2002 to discuss the problem with health and agriculture experts. The result was TRS 916, a technical report. It says that calories from sugar should form 10 per cent of the …
for the first time, developing countries have objected to a proposal to set the limit of sugar consumption at 10 per cent of total calorie intake for fighting obesity. Earlier, this line was adopted only by the us and other developed countries. The resistance stems from the belief that defining …
Kicking the soft drink habit is a critical step for achieving lasting health and weight loss. Avoiding soft drinks can literally transform the health and cause to lose weight, reverse symptoms of diabetes, enhance bone density, support healthy brain function and even protect the body's nervous system. Until now, however, …
