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In this episode of Health360, host Sneha Mordani explores critical health updates, starting with a Lancet report revealing that 40% of Indians suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
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00:00Hello there, you've tuned in to Health Free 60 and this week as always we will get you up to
00:04speed and in-depth reports on all things health, wellness and fitness.
00:09Why 4 in 10 Indians suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as the report by the Lancet flags off
00:17to a new device that not just tracks your health but helps doctors keep connected to you and helps in
00:25predicting medical emergencies.
00:27And why Serena Williams is facing flag.
00:31Love for Zeb Bound but full promotions for that is inviting criticism.
00:37Let's get started.
00:39I'm Sneha Murdani, this is Health Free 60.
01:09Coffee drinkers take note and drop a cup of coffee.
01:13A 4 decade long study has now revealed how many cups a day of coffee, of caffeine, of tea and
01:20of coffee could be reducing your risk of dementia.
01:25A research study published in the JAMA network has explored the link between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of
01:32dementia.
01:33Coffee is improving cognition, reducing dementia.
01:37The benefits seen only with caffeinated coffee or tea and most pronounced with 2 cups every single day.
01:45Here's why you should pick up your cuppa and say cheers.
02:02Well for a coffee lover like me, this report that has appeared in the JAMA just a few days ago
02:09comes as great news.
02:11It says coffee or tea, the caffeinated kind, not the decaf stuff that we often find, is great for your
02:20health.
02:212 cups and more even.
02:23It cuts down the risk of dementia, it's great for cognitive health and if you are a coffee lover, there
02:29is no reason why you should be afraid of consuming up to 2-3 cups of coffee or tea every
02:36single day.
02:37It's great for your cognitive health.
02:40Those who enjoyed 2-3 cups of coffee or 1-2 cups of tea a day saw the biggest impact.
02:47Coffee drinkers in midlife had about an 18% lower chance of developing dementia later on, while tea drinkers had
02:56a 14% lower risk.
02:58People who drank that amount for decades has lower chances of developing dementia than people who drank little or no
03:05caffeine, the research reported.
03:07They followed 1,031,821 participants for up to 43 years.
03:15Compared with people who consumed virtually no caffeine, people who drank between 1 and 5-8 ounce cups of caffeinated
03:22coffee had about 20% less dementia risk.
03:26Those who drank at least 1 cup of caffeinated tea every single day had about 15% less risk.
03:33There has been time over which people have believed that coffee and tea have antioxidants and they have vascular effects
03:41in the brain which improve the brain blood flow and decrease the inflammation inside the brain by antioxidant effect, improving
03:50the brain preservation and reducing brain degeneration.
03:54That is how it is proposed that coffee and tea will reduce the risk of dementia which is a degenerative
04:01neural disease.
04:03Well, so the thing with caffeine is that there is a fair amount of research that shows that it is
04:07great as far as your heart health is concerned.
04:10It slows down ageing.
04:12Thousands of bioactive compounds and caffeine have a deep bearing on inflammation, your vascular health, oxidative stress and also your
04:20metabolism.
04:21So, it is not just your cognitive health but various other things that caffeine is helping with.
04:32When there is oxidative stress on our body tissues, it leads to generation of free radicals which cause inflammation in
04:42the brain and heart tissues which lead to faster degeneration and cell death of those tissues.
04:48Coffee and tea actually reduces the oxidative injury to our tissues and blood vessels, preserving them for longer term and
04:57reducing neurodegenerative diseases like stroke and dementia.
05:00Serena Williams, one of the most decorated athletes in sporting history, has spoken candidly about her struggles with weight management
05:09and her decision to use GLP-1 therapy.
05:12Well, now she has taken it a step further, gone ahead and advertised it at the Super Bowl.
05:17Well, she though is not the only one doing it, others have done it as well.
05:22But Williams endorsing it has invited a whole world of criticism from social media users.
05:30I'm on Roe, 34 pounds down on GLP-1s.
05:36Healthier on Roe.
05:39Supporting on Roe.
05:41FDA approved GLP-1 options.
05:44Now even in a pill.
05:46Weight loss expertise I trust.
05:48I'm moving better on Roe.
05:51A top A class athlete promoting a weight loss medicine, not talking about the side effects, showing how simple it
05:58is to take.
05:59But what about exercise, right food, the right kind of nutrition, the disclaimer that this is not for everyone to
06:08take.
06:08And that is where the problem with this particular advertisement really starts.
06:15Yes, I'm on Roe.
06:19They say GLP-1s for weight loss is a shortcut.
06:23It's not.
06:23It's science.
06:25After kids, it's the medicine my body needed.
06:28GLP-1s helped me lose 31 pounds.
06:32Serena Williams is under fire for promoting GLP-1 drug during the Super Bowl ads.
06:38A video of ace tennis star Serena showing off her weight loss during a Super Bowl advertisement promoting GLP-1
06:46medication has now gone viral.
06:48The retired tennis superstar credits her initial weight loss around 15 kilograms by using ZepBound, which was provided by telehealth
06:57company Roe.
06:59In the Super Bowl advertisement for telehealth company Roe, Williams is shown using an injectable pen device and navigating the
07:07company's mobile app.
07:09Williams in the past had revealed she had been using the medication in partnership with a company who focused on
07:16weight management after her second pregnancy.
07:19For years, Big Pharma's Super Bowl presence was limited to brand awareness and avoiding anything that came close to a
07:28discussion around a clinical claim.
07:31But this time in Super Bowl, things have changed.
07:34Reports suggest Super Bowl ad inventory for 2026 averaged about $8 million for a 30-second spot, with premium placements
07:45exceeding $10 million.
07:47And who is featuring here?
07:49Novo's 90-second spot has comedian, stalwart Kenan Thompson, announcing the new Vigovy pill.
07:57A hymns and hers health commercial features a voiceover by rapper Common with a tagline,
08:02Rich people live longer.
08:05Rich people live longer.
08:12But let us tell you why this becomes problematic.
08:17This particular group of drugs called GLP agonists, they have significant side effects.
08:23The most common being that it causes nausea, bloating, distension of abdomen, loose motions, diarrhea, abdominal pain.
08:32This drug causes a lowering of your appetite.
08:35This drug causes a slowing of your gastric movement or the movement of your stomach.
08:40So how slow your, you know, sort of stomach empties.
08:45Which is why you feel full for a longer period of time.
08:50You feel satiated for a longer period of time.
08:53You start with a very small dose, that's one-tenth of the dose, and then gradually work your way up
08:59every week.
09:00All these things are not mentioned during an endorsement or a campaign program like that, a publicity campaign program.
09:06So people are likely to actually look at only the positive effects that we want to lose weight.
09:12So here is a drug for it and then they take it.
09:14There is a significant obesity which is leading to metabolic abnormalities like diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver disease or heart disease
09:23or obstructive sleep apnea or knee osteoarthritis.
09:26Wherever we feel that the blood glucose lowering action or the weight reducing action of the drug will be helpful
09:33for the patient, we go ahead and give this drug in a structured manner.
09:38Prescription drugs should not come in for mass canvassing or endorsement by celebrities because they sent a wrong signal.
09:46I think that that is one thing that, you know, celebrities should refrain from.
09:49There have been a lot of cases on that issues because many of the side effects or problems are absolutely
09:55not touched upon.
09:56I see you at home where doctors monitor your health 24 by 7 and alert you to potential issues even
10:03before they strike.
10:04India's latest innovation makes this a reality, especially for senior citizens and those with chronic conditions.
10:13India has launched its, the world's rather, first doctor-led AI healthcare ecosystem.
10:20I live connect for round-the-clock monitoring.
10:24Here's more.
10:34Imagine wearing a device that tracks your health, your vital parameters, your metabolic health, sugar, blood pressure, etc, etc, 24
10:43by 7.
10:45Well, in the era of digital health, wearable health, this really is possible.
10:49Nothing unusual, isn't it, in that sense.
10:52But what if all of this information is being monitored by qualified doctors 24 by 7 who then carefully note
11:01your every heartbeat and reach out to your family if anything is amiss,
11:07warning them about a possible emergency.
11:11This is doctor-led healthcare from the comfort of your home.
11:16A new AI-driven ecosystem is redefining patient care by bringing the hospital to the home.
11:23Led by medical experts, the platform monitors chronic health data in real time, intervening early to stop the progression of
11:31disease before it reaches a crisis point.
11:33At the core of this ecosystem, I live connect is a small wireless biosensor patch, paired with a wearable wristband
11:43that continuously captures vital parameters.
11:47This is FDA-approved, CE-approved device, and this is a wristband, and with this, all the data comes, this
11:56is a relay device, this relay device helps capturing all that data and takes it from here into the iCloud
12:03platform.
12:03The vital parameters comes like ECG, saturation, blood pressure, blood sugar, and stability, like patient is about to fall or
12:13these things.
12:14So these all data gets, you know, converted into soft copies and that goes as for the iCloud to the
12:21command center.
12:22And from there, our doctors will also analyze and get back to the patient or the health care giver.
12:29Doctors say the absence of continuous medical care is what drove them to work on a device of this kind.
12:39Vulnerable population, like elderly patients who are living alone, who are not, you know, with their children, or health care
12:48facility in remote villages are not there, but the mobile phone is working, they can immediately get under the umbrella
12:54of health care.
12:55Doctors are watching over the patient in real time, and if anything abnormal happens, so if his heart rate goes,
13:01you know, beyond 150, or blood pressure goes up or down, or saturation goes up or down, immediately the doctors
13:06will know that there is something wrong going on there.
13:09And the doctors will call up the patient and let them know that there is this problem, and they will
13:15also issue a prescription to the patient, send the medications to his home.
13:20How is this really then different from conventional variables?
13:25It is 24-7 being monitored, and the alerts will be given to the patient or patient relative.
13:32So this makes it a difference that you can identify the serious diseases in much advanced things, and the patient
13:40can take a corrective action.
13:42Again, we are connecting this to the e-prescription, to the medicine delivery, and also to the ambulance services.
13:52The focus of this kind of a technology is on preventing emergencies before they happen, and AI is driving this
14:02innovation.
14:02Health care experts involved in the project say the system is particularly relevant during the post-discharge phase, where patients
14:10are vulnerable to complications, but often lack constant medical oversight at home.
14:16Senior citizens living alone, patients with cardiac, metabolic, or respiratory conditions are considered among the primary beneficiaries of this technology.
14:26Nearly 4 in 10 adults have metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, according to a large multi-city study published in
14:35the Lancet, underscoring the scale of a silent liver disease epidemic driven by obesity and diabetes, and not alcohol.
14:45The findings point to a widespread and largely silent public health problem, with many individuals already showing signs of early
14:53liver damage.
14:56India is sitting on a volcano, a big volcano of fatty liver disease, the non-alcoholic kind.
15:05So why do I really say that?
15:074 in every 10 Indians have fatty liver.
15:11A Lancet report says, this is worrying because this is being seen in folks who do not consume alcohol.
15:17So what really is going on here?
15:21Fatty liver disease itself is a symptom, which is caused by metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease, which means in our
15:32body there is a metabolic dysfunction.
15:35Metabolic dysfunction is a syndrome where we have fatty liver disease, plus we have either blood pressure or diabetes or
15:46hyperlipidemia.
15:48Lipid profile is deranged, or there is obesity.
15:52When all these things are present, or one of these things is present, then we classify this as a metabolic
15:57syndrome.
15:58While traditional fatty liver was associated with excessive alcohol intake, the new Indian data highlights that non-alcoholic forms are
16:07far more common, largely driven by lifestyle, diet, and metabolic health.
16:12So to think that you are not going to get fatty liver because you don't drink alcohol would be wrong.
16:19A significant chunk are also showing liver fibrosis, which is a key step towards more severe liver damage.
16:26In the stage 1, we have only fat deposition in the liver, which is more than 5% of the
16:32liver cells, which are occupied by fat.
16:35In the 2nd stage, it leads to inflammation.
16:39Inflammation is a swelling of the liver, which happens due to various reasons.
16:44And at this stage, it is called as steatohepatitis.
16:47In 3rd stage, our body heals this steatohepatitis with stelate cells.
16:54There are certain cells which produce fiber, the collagen fiber, and they get deposited in the liver.
17:00And this is where the stage of fibrosis begins, stage 3.
17:06And later on, it leads to a stage which is called as cirrhosis.
17:10What makes all of this really alarming is that fatty liver is frequently asymptomatic in early stages, meaning many people
17:19may be unaware that they have it until complications develop.
17:23Early signs of diabetes like acanthosis, nigricans, whereas black spots along the creases like groins, neck creases, or axilla, or
17:32skin tags, they can have, these are the early signs of diabetes.
17:36There can be hypertension, and if there is obesity also, they should consider themselves checked for fatty liver disease.
17:44And in that scenario, they should get liver function tests along with ultrasound to have a basic check.
17:51What's interesting is that the study deliberately excluded individuals who consumed alcohol, underlining that the liver changes observed were not
18:00linked to drinking.
18:01Rather, the condition was strongly associated with obesity and high blood sugar levels.
18:08MASLD, formerly known as NAFLD, which is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
18:15A lot of sugar consumption, obesity, they lead to insulin resistance, which leads to further obesity and deposition of fat
18:24in the liver, along with the inflammation.
18:26Of course, these things are very much related, our lifestyle today, we should cut off all the sweets, so that
18:33we become healthy, and we should lead our healthy lives.
18:36Indians appear to be particularly prone to this pattern. Why so?
18:40This is partly due to genetic predisposition towards insulin resistance and visceral fat accumulation.
18:48In India, about 40% of the population is suffering from fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome, and this is
18:55basically because of our lifestyle, number one.
18:59And number two, a lot of stress is in life. We don't concentrate on exercise. We don't concentrate on right
19:05foods.
19:06So that's why in India, the incidence is rising.
19:09This metabolic dysfunction not only affects the liver, but remember, is intertwined with other chronic diseases, such as type 2
19:17diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, creating a web of interrelated risks.
19:26Early detection is absolutely essential.
19:29If it is fatty liver disease, along with the inflammation to start with, it will somehow in 15 to 20
19:35years lead to liver cirrhosis.
19:36So it's very important to understand this, that every year we should get some tests, like liver function tests, along
19:43with ultrasound, to detect fatty liver disease at an early stage.
19:48So then, what are the solutions? How can you protect yourself? Watch on.
19:56And joining us right now is well-known hepatologist Dr. Shiv Sareen, associated with Delhi's ILBS, is with us.
20:034 in 10 Indians have fatty liver disease, and this has not got to do with alcohol. What's going on
20:11here?
20:12Few years ago, when I had gone to the India Today conclave, I met many people on the way, during
20:19the corridor, and I asked,
20:22why is the liver getting bad, and what do you think are the common causes of ill health of liver,
20:28and everyone said, sir, alcohol.
20:30A few of them did say, sir, it could be because of fat, but they did not know what fat
20:37does, and whether fatty liver is a bad thing or not.
20:42You know, doctor, a lot of people would want to know, whether I have fatty liver disease or not.
20:47So, what is that one way that one can find out?
20:50First, is your weight.
20:53If your height, minus 100, is, let's say height is 170, for a man, we subtract 100.
21:02So, 170 minus 100, your weight should be 70 kg, and for a female, 105, so weight should be 65.
21:10So, simply weigh yourself on a weighing scale.
21:13But, if there is a family history of diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, 5 or ghatana hai.
21:20Matlab, aadmi ka wazan, 65, 170 meinse, 105, if you are diabetic, then you have fatty liver, for sure.
21:29Please go and get it checked.
21:30The third thing, this is for those people, who have fatty liver, and think that we are right, for them,
21:40there is a waist and hip ratio.
21:43If your waist, for a female, it is more than 80, and for a man, it is more than 90.
22:02In fact, when we did a survey in Delhi, for, in 2024, we published it.
22:16We also have children who are becoming more and more vulnerable, nowadays, to all kinds of problems, metabolic disorders, including
22:24fatty liver.
22:26Before birth of the baby, the mother, unko kya karte hai, matlab, kha hai jau, unko ghi bhi dena hai,
22:34tilke laddu bhi khilane hai,
22:36aur, barfi bhi dena hai, aur, kha hai na ki aram bhi karna hai, toh, the lady gets close to
22:435 to 7 kg extra weight, and that all goes to the baby.
22:48So, prevention will start from birth, before birth, then, immediately after birth, remember, that extra sugar, whether fruit juice, or
23:00in any other form, patlab,
23:02Now, it's okay, in the year, we have a cake, but every day, having pastries, cake, and every celebration is
23:08only sugar and fat, I think it is a wrong idea.
23:12And when the child will be 2 year old, they will have plaques in their heart.
23:17In 2 year children, they will have plaques in their heart.
23:23By 5 years, at least, 15% of the children will have fatty liver by age of 5.
23:31The problematic thing here, and from what you tell me, if I understand correctly, it's just not got to do
23:36with fatty liver.
23:37It also has got to do with the world of other problems associated with fat.
23:42It begins in the liver, but it causes problems to every single organ of the body, eventually, when not handled.
23:48If there is fat in the liver cell, then the insulin produced by pancreas does not easily enter into the
23:59liver cell.
24:00We call it insulin resistance.
24:03So, pancreas makes more and more and more insulin every day.
24:08Over a period of time, a guy who has more fat in the liver, he has produced more insulin.
24:14His pancreas goes down. Over a period of time, he develops diabetes.
24:18Now, if you have fat in your liver, he will spill into the body.
24:23He will come out in the blood.
24:26The triglyceride cholesterol moves. It deposits on the arteries.
24:31Your arteries become hard. You get blood pressure.
24:35That fat goes to your heart. You have heart disease, coronary disease.
24:40That goes to lungs and it goes to kidneys. It goes to brain.
24:44So, early Alzheimer's, dementia, these are all fats.
24:50And therefore, fat in the liver is synonym with a metabolic dysfunction of the whole body.
24:58Dr. Sineen, appreciate your time here.
25:01And thank you, as always, for speaking with us and enlightening us about these things
25:05that just need so much more focus nowadays. Thank you.
25:09Well, that brings us to the end of this edition of Healthy 60.
25:12You can watch this report and much more up on our website.
25:15That's indiatoday.in. You can download the app as well.
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25:31Until next time, take very good care of yourself.
25:34Thank you for watching. Bye for now.
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