-PTI Drinking just one can of soft drink daily may increase risk of heart attack, claims a new Harvard study but experts in India are sceptical about the findings even as they agree that excess consumption of such beverages is dangerous for health. The study, which surveyed over 40,000 men in the US for over a period of 22 years, found that taking just one sugar- sweetened drink a day increase the...

Says milk adulterated but not unsafe for consumption Six states and a union territory feed their people milk that does not meet the standards set by India’s food regulatory body at all. Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Daman & Diu are the “100 per cent non-conforming” states. In Delhi, 70 per cent of the samples failed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) test. Yet, the...

Recent events in south Asia have led to an unexpected reversal in the narrative of microfinance, long presented as a development success. Despite charges of poor treatment of clients, exaggeration of the impact on the poorest as well as the risks of credit bubbles, the sector can play a non-negligible role in reaching financial services to low-income households. In regulating the sector, there is need for caution in setting interest...

Health is a state of mental, social and physical well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity. To achieve this noble objective, India requires health care professionals who are trained in institutions with standardised infrastructure, and the availability of accessible and equitable health care for both the rural and urban populace. Recently, the health sector has been in the news — from the creation of a rural based...

Boiling milk several times before drinking and that too at high temperatures, which reduces its nutritious value, is highly prevalent among Indian women. A first-of-its-kind Milk Boiling Habits study that involved 2, 400 women across eight major cities has found that Chandigarh leads the pack, boiling milk more than three times a day. While, 84% of women surveyed in Kolkata always boiled milk for over five minutes. About 46% of women...