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India Today's Healthy 60 programme, anchored by Sneha Mordani, examines critical health challenges facing India. Central Pollution Control Board data reveals ground-level ozone has emerged as Delhi's primary air quality threat, appearing for multiple days in February and March beyond its typical summer season. Experts explain that sunlight reacting with vehicle and industrial emissions creates this year-round hazard, causing airway inflammation and increased infection vulnerability. The episode also addresses childhood obesity, with India ranking second globally for overweight children, potentially affecting 56 million by 2040. A new international study covering 2300 people shows toxic relationships can accelerate biological aging, with each negative person in one's social circle aging the body approximately nine months at cellular level through chronic stress and inflammation.
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00:15welcome to health 360 where we dive deep into the stories that shape our health and our lives
00:22in this episode we are uncovering the silent threads all around us childhood obesity creeping
00:29into our schools summer pollution choking our cities that's a drain in war-torn Iran and the
00:36invisible toll of stress and toxic people speeding up aging and cutting life spans we explore the
00:43science share real life stories and give you the tools to protect your health because in today's
00:49world staying healthy is more than a choice it's a lifestyle I'm Sinha Mordani this is healthy 60
01:20we bring you a startling update from the heart of the nation's capital where the air people breathe
01:25is changing in ways few expected according to the latest Central Pollution Control Board data ground
01:33level ozone which is a pollutant usually associated with scorching summer days has emerged as the lead
01:39air quality threat in Delhi not just once or twice but for many days in February and in March this
01:47shift actually signals a worrying trend ozone formed by vehicle and industrial emissions reacting in
01:54sunlight is now lingering beyond its typical season and turning into a year-round health hazard experts
02:02warm this highly reactive gas can inflate and damage airways worsen asthma and make lungs more vulnerable
02:10to infection especially for children older adults and those with respiratory conditions the summers are
02:17here the spring vanished in thin air but finally the dirty pollution winter months are over do you really
02:27think so that really is not the truth summer months continue to be polluted months and we are not saying
02:35it
02:36the air quality index as of today even when it is 35 degree plus stands at a shocking 200 which
02:46brings us to the
02:47next question if the stubble is not getting burnt now and the air is not cold enough to trap PM
02:542.5 and PM 10
02:57what is causing the air to be hazy the problem is that you know the air pollution is a little
03:04different
03:04from the pollution that we see in the winters because this time we have got high temperature and
03:09this intense sunlight and that accelerates the formation of ground level ozone which is so particular in this
03:14season at this point of time so what happens is the sunlight reacts with the nitrogen oxide and volatile
03:19organic compounds which are emitted from the vehicles the power plants and industries you know because of dry hot weather
03:25it leads to higher dust levels so you know the dust disperses in the atmosphere significantly
03:31in winter PM 2.5 is the dominant pollutant it is also present in summers but levels of ground level
03:40ozone
03:40and PM 10 also rise once inhaled PM 10 particles can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health
03:50effects including elevated respiratory and cardiovascular disease risks
03:58all right now that we know what exactly is ozone pollution and why it makes the summer air so dirty
04:04let's just break it down for our viewers now ozone really is in some rocket science what happens in
04:11cities is that there is fair amount of vehicular traffic ozone buildup happens on the ground and gets
04:17accelerated because of the sunlight because of the weather conditions is so hot and also because
04:24of the calm stagnant air in the summer months that prevents this ozone buildup from dispersing from
04:31going out away from where we are it concentrates in one particular area most so in cities where there
04:38already is this vehicular traffic and vehicular pollution and that's the reason why the ozone layer stays there
04:45absolutely stagnant contributing to the dirty air that you're breathing even in summers especially the
04:52vulnerable people like elderly children should avoid venturing outside we must use n95 and n99 masks as
04:59far as possible we must limit outdoor activities especially if the weather is very hot and sunny especially in
05:07afternoons and avoid any strenuous exercise outdoors when the aq is very high we must especially protect
05:13our eyes because you know this time there is a lot of burning in the eyes which can occur the
05:19uv rays can
05:19damage our retina and other things so we must use uv protected sunglasses when we are venturing out in
05:24this sunny weather so the fact is that even if it is summers and not winters in many urban centers
05:30like Delhi
05:31you're still breathing dirty polluted air even if you're chilling in the greenest part of Delhi like
05:38Lodi garden where i am right now the air that you're breathing is still filthy ozone is basically is
05:45inflammatory uh uh irritant to the airways okay it causes inflammation there which sort of affects
05:52these cern which causes the cern burn of the lining of our airways okay which we call as the bronchial
05:58epithelia and because there is inflammation in the airways the the muscles of the airways go into
06:04the spasm and that causes the bronchospasm which makes the person to breathe harder it can cause a
06:09lot of cough wheezing throat irritation and pain while taking deep breaths and it can also affect you know
06:16the impairment of the lung function over a period of time we now turn the spotlight on a growing public
06:21health crisis childhood obesity in india according to a recent global report india now ranks
06:28second in the world for the number of overweight and obese children by the year 2040 an estimated 56
06:36million children could be affected if current trends continue a staggering rise that carries serious
06:43health consequences childhood obesity isn't just about weight it increases the risk of early onset of
06:50diabetes heart disease hypertension and other metabolic conditions affecting children well into adulthood
06:58experts point to sedentary lifestyles high calorie diets and lack of awareness about healthy habits is key
07:05drivers of this particular search well we've had enough and more conversations about adults being
07:12obese and how to handle it ostensibly we also have a solution inside but how many times have we had
07:20a
07:20conversation about obese children well our kids are getting obese the world obesity atlas indicates that
07:29this is a huge problem it has some very sobering headlines headline number one more than 180 countries
07:37have seen a rise in prevalence of overweight and obesity since 2010 obesity rates have risen to the point that
07:46globally there are more obese children than there are children who are underweight in some countries more
07:52than half of school-age children between the ages of 5 to 19 years live with high bmi including more
07:59than a third with obesity in india
08:08india has 14 million children living with obesity so what is going on here children are having sedentary
08:17lifestyle they are physically inactive they are more screen dependent second is their eating habits
08:26they love to eat junk which has high salt and sugar intake also the calorie content of such food is
08:34quite
08:34high third if your sleep cycle is improper or you're having stress it is going to lead to obesity
08:43fourth genetic factors also play a role at least 120 million school-age children are expected to have
08:52early signs of chronic disease metabolic disorders caused by high bmi by the year 2014.
08:59these children are likely to develop insulin resistance which is extremely common in children with obesity can
09:05be seen in up to 40 to 50 percent of these children and can increase the risk of developing pre
09:11-diabetes and
09:11diabetes in future secondly these children also have a increased risk of developing hypertension which
09:18can be seen in as much as 20 to 25 percent of these patients these children can also have an
09:25early onset of
09:26cardiac diseases in their life in their early adulthood period uh apart from that there is also a
09:33significant deposition of fat which starts uh you know uh depositing in the liver now this can result in
09:40the fatty liver disease well a recent government report has indicated that kids in india have high
09:45triglycerides as well which is a type of blood fat known to increase the risk of heart disease later in
09:52life the triglycerides are exuberantly high say the levels are more than 900 or 1000 milligrams per
09:57deciliter they can result in a condition which is called as acute pancreatitis which can cause in fact a
10:03multi-organ dysfunction also high triglycerides levels in children which is again a risk factor for heart
10:12diseases other lifestyle diseases such as diabetes hypertension it also causes sleep apnea acid reflux
10:21urbanization sedentary lifestyles increasing screen time and the widespread availability of ultra processed foods
10:29have dramatically altered dietary habits among children then there is aggressive marketing
10:36of unhealthy foods targeted specifically at children so what then really could be the possible solutions
10:43here the processed foods have to be limited uh the sugars have to be limited uh we need to cut
10:51down on
10:52foods which are containing trans fat or deep fried foods uh we need to uh you know ask our children
10:59to eat more of whole foods don't keep on buying junk food from outside second get the child involved
11:06in activity physical activity sports games third is the family as a whole should decide to be healthy
11:14so sleep on time cut down on screen time don't watch toxic things on television these three or four
11:22simple things if you do childhood obesity can be reduced in india aging science is now telling us
11:28something which is extremely powerful the people you surround yourself with may affect not just your
11:36mood but also how fast your body ages a new study shows that chronic exposure to stressful or toxic
11:45relationships the so-called hasslers is actually linked to faster biological aging for every negative person
11:53in your social circle your body can age about nine months extra at a cellular level driven by information
12:02and stress responses inside your cells here's one
12:25what do you feel like you've aged suddenly does your workplace make you feel like you need some fresh air
12:34to breathe
12:36the toxic people around you drain you of your inner peace and make you feel like a hundred years old
12:46well the people around you can influence how fast you age this actually is now supported by research
12:56stressful or toxic relationships can have real biological effects on your body
13:03well a new international study shows that toxic or stressful people in your life may actually speed up
13:11biological aging here's the key idea which has been explained researchers have studied more than 2300
13:20people between the ages of 18 to 104 and examine their social relationships along with biological markers from saliva
13:29samples these markers measured biological age how the body ages really at a cellular level each additional toxic
13:38person in someone's social circle was linked to about 1.5 percent faster pace of aging it could make a
13:46person's biological age about nine months older than people without such stresses when you have persistent or chronic
13:55chronic stress it it it kind of damages the whole body through inflammation and one of the mechanisms is
14:02this oxidative stress at the end of the chromosomes in our body there is a small cap that is called
14:09as telomere
14:10as long as the telomere is long it provides protection to the chromosome and it brings down aging but when
14:18you have this
14:18chronic stress what happens is it reduces this telomere this cap at the end of the chromosome it reduces the
14:26length of that when the telomeres are shortened this automatically accelerates aging well scientists say social
14:35environment is actually a health factor just like diet or exercise supportive relationships can improve
14:42longevity while persistent toxic relationships may gradually harm both mental and physical health stress
14:50as i said you know it releases certain hormones into the body you know these are called catecholamines you
14:55know and they have an effect on the cardiovascular health you know so the immediate response is uh
15:03rise in heart rate you know constriction of the blood vessels sometimes it could cause some dilatation of
15:08blood vessels what stress also does is it increases atherogenesis you know atherogenesis is basically
15:16plaque formation in the vessels that supply the heart as a result the gradual build of this
15:21plaque in the coronary arteries is what leads to heart attack being around toxic people who constantly
15:27criticize you when there are conflicts and there's manipulation keeps your body in chronic stress mode
15:33this activates the cortisol stress hormone system when cortisol stays elevated for long periods it can
15:40lead to weakened immune systems sleep problems increased inflammation higher risk of heart disease
15:46over time these effects contribute to faster biological aging toxicity actually ages you really fast there are
15:56markers that determine you know your cardiovascular health you know these are the markers which generally are
16:01not done in routine screens and i think everybody should understand these markers very well these markers
16:07specifically are high sensitivity crp you know hscrp as we call it you know it's a marker of inflammation
16:14second is epolipoprotein b it's a very important marker of your heart health you know the inflammation in
16:22the in the arteries that supply the heart all these markers point towards
16:27uh not only the plaque build up in the heart but also the amount of inflammation in the body some
16:34recent studies have looked at why do we get heart attacks the normal things will save blood pressure
16:40sugar cholesterol being high smoking and all that more than all that today we have found that those
16:47who have social support they don't get heart attacks they don't get diabetes and so on because
16:51once you have that social support your stress goes away you're able to get something out of your
16:57chest as we say isn't it so therefore this social support is very very important for you to have
17:03a long and healthy life it's time for a quick commercial break on the show we're getting you much more
17:08news around health wellness and fitness on the other side
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20:35around black rain or acid rain. Of course, reports have been emerging of this kind of rain falling
20:42over parts of Iran in the hours after US-Israeli airstrikes on oil depots over the last few days
20:51in Iran. Some outlets have been describing this as acid rain. Iranian residents have reported
20:59headaches, difficulty in breathing and oil contamination. This sort of rain settles on
21:04buildings and cars. The World Health Organization has also warned of severe health risks posed by
21:10black rain or acid rain following damage to oil facilities. So what really is this acid rain?
21:18Here's more.
21:19War doesn't just destroy cities, it can poison the sky above them. In Iran's capital of Tehran,
21:27residents are now being warned about a new danger, acid rain and toxic black rain.
21:33After a series of strikes on oil depots and fuel storage sites, thick smoke filled the skies over
21:40the city. Now, experts say those chemicals may be falling back to the ground with rain, exposing
21:48millions of civilians to hazardous levels of pollution. The World Health Organization has
21:53already sounded off an alarm asking people in Iran to stay indoors.
21:58The acidic rain coming with it is indeed a danger for the population, respiratory mainly, and it could be acidic,
22:07depending, of course, what context you have. We are in touch with the hospitals and with the
22:17authorities and the Iranian authorities have issued an alert advising people to stay indoors, even in light of the attacks
22:24on oil warehouses, especially.
22:28So what really is black rain or acid rain? Remember, massive fires at oil facilities have been burning for days
22:36now.
22:37Explosions release hydrocarbons, sulphur compounds and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. The same pollutants known to create acid rain.
22:48Now, when these gases mix with moisture in the clouds, they form sulphuric and nitric acids. And when it drains,
22:56those acids fall back to the crowd.
22:58So why is this dangerous? As a drain can cause skin and eye irritation, breathing difficulties and lung damage, contamination
23:06of soil and water. Long-term health risks include cancer. Vulnerable groups are children, elderly and people with respiratory disease.
23:15They face the greatest risk. With Tehran home to nearly 10 million people, the environmental fallout of this war would
23:23be affecting millions.
23:24I spoke earlier to one of India's top nutritionists on concerns about shortage of cooking gas in India and otherwise
23:33as well outside of India. Well, he seems to be suggesting that this could really be an opportunity for us
23:41to do a bit of a food meal reset and in turn, a bit of a gut reset. Really our
23:48opportunity to eat healthier and explore many other options.
23:52He essentially is seeing a silver lining in the dark clouds. Here's my conversation with Ryan Fernando.
24:00Ryan Fernando, well-known nutritionist is now joining us. Thank you so much for your time. The entire country is
24:06obviously worried about the situation in West Asia and the repercussions of the same being felt in India as well.
24:12We are already seeing a shortage of LPG and hotels and restaurant owners are the first to actually report it
24:19given the restraints on commercial LPG.
24:22Ryan Fernando, what sort of opportunity do you see here in eating healthier at this point in time?
24:28Ryan Fernando, an amazing opportunity. You see, this has happened to India twice in the past in the 1970s, the
24:34OPEC crisis. And then we had the Iraq war where kerosene and LPG went out of stock and people had
24:40to go and get firewood.
24:41Ryan Fernando, ancient India, the sattvic movement, Ayurveda was where we had the raw food diet.
24:49So as a nutritionist, I'm very excited because if you remember the pandemic period, people actually skipped breakfast because the
24:57maidservants did not turn up at home to cook.
25:00And so people ate only a lunch and a dinner and therefore a lot of people in India found out
25:06intermittent fasting, lost a lot of weight, reduced their cholesterol, people got healthier.
25:11I'm also very excited from a perspective that I've always been telling India, ghar gha khana, eat home cooked food.
25:19So please understand, it's commercial.
25:21So all of us Indians have been overeating outside by ordering on the e-commerce apps and we've been overeating
25:30by going to restaurants.
25:31Our children ask us to go out every day.
25:34The teenagers want to eat outside every day.
25:36This is an opportunity, I believe, for India to come back to ghar gha khana.
25:41And I've got some solutions on how we can cook with lesser gas at home too, which is everything from
25:47fruits and salads to protein smoothies to fruit bowls to overnight oats.
25:54There are a lot of things that we can do.
25:56Also, this is an opportunity for everyone to use that griller which has just been sitting there, our grill.
26:02And, you know, that's also an excellent opportunity to go off the regular Indian style of cooking where fair amount
26:09of oil is used.
26:10Because that is something that we can now look at avoiding, isn't it?
26:13Absolutely.
26:14So we have, there's something called as the poor man thadka.
26:17In the olden days, we would do a lot of ghee and theel and you needed a higher heat.
26:21Whereas if you use water in thadka, you need a lower heat.
26:25Now, for me, there's a lot, not only in terms of the fried and the extra maybe spices and sugars
26:33for the gut to reset.
26:35So while it's a lot of people in the past have come to me as the nutritionist for their gas
26:41problem, intensely that gas problem was created by eating wrong foods.
26:45So I genuinely believe that the new gas LPG problem where people will choose to have more food which is
26:54fresher from an uncooked perspective will allow the gut to reset.
27:00Some people may have more problems and there are some solutions.
27:03For example, we have forgotten to soak our rice, which cooks 25% faster.
27:09So to save gas, soak your rice.
27:12Number one.
27:13Number two, do batch cooking.
27:14I am giving you authorization, India, that you can actually store your rice for up to three days.
27:22So cook it in a batch and then use it over three days.
27:26Reduce your portion control on your rice and your chapatis because lower carb means better fat loss.
27:32So your waistline will come down, your cholesterol will come down, your fatty liver will come down.
27:36And how can we use a microwave better?
27:38We also know that there are lots of myths associated with use of a microwave.
27:42You know that there's fair amount of radiation which could harm our health, which could harm the food that we're
27:48eating.
27:48What do you have to say about these concepts and about these myths I would ask?
27:52So the first things first is I would ask people to go towards the sattvic approach, which is the raw
27:58food diet, vegetables, fruits.
27:59Now when it comes to cooking in the microwave, there are certain ways wherein you get microwaves which are based
28:06on oven technology,
28:08which is, if I'm not mistaken, it's the conduction and the convection technology.
28:12So go towards air fryers and do not go above 160 degrees Celsius where you get caramelization or acrylamide formation.
28:22These are the toxic things.
28:23With regards to the microwave, I have one at home.
28:26I only use it for heating up water, but I don't use it on my food.
28:30However, I don't think the government will allow us to have a domestic LPG gas issue and therefore we should
28:38not panic because the gas cylinder for five people in my house lasts for one month.
28:44So in a month, if you can reduce the number of cooked meals, which is make breakfast, fruit and salad
28:52and make lunch as one cooked meal in a day,
28:56you can actually do this concept of OMAD, one meal a day.
28:59And that one meal a day can be cooked on your gas.
29:01Air fryers is something that I would advise.
29:04And research is showing that pressure cookers are one of the best things.
29:09And I've recently bought an induction stove.
29:11Fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, raw foods.
29:15We can try all of that.
29:16And this gives us the perfect opportunity to.
29:19I'm going to thank you, Ran Fernando, for joining in.
29:22Thank you for having me.
29:23Well, that's it in this edition of Healthy 60.
29:26You can find these reports up on our website.
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29:45Until next time, thank you so much for watching.
29:47Take very good care of yourself.
29:49Bye for now.
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