Food as Medicine: Dr. V. Mohan on the Economic and Health Impact of Pistachio-Based Diabetes Prevention
Why Pistachios May Be the Missing Piece in India's Nutrition Puzzle?
The Indian diet is largely carbohydrate-heavy, with limited focus on proteins and healthy fats. For a balanced diet, all three macronutrients—carbs, proteins, and fats—must be proportionately included. Among fats, trans fats (in processed foods) and saturated fats (like ghee and butter) are harmful. Healthier options include unsaturated fats: monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). MUFAs are especially beneficial for heart health and diabetes management. Unfortunately, Indian diets lack MUFAs. Pistachios, rich in MUFA, offer a healthy solution. Research now shows they help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and waist size—contrary to earlier beliefs about nuts and weight gain.
Pistachios and Satiety: A Natural Way to Control Appetite
Pistachios are remarkably effective at inducing satiety, helping people feel full faster. When meals include natural, fiber- and protein-rich foods like pistachios, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables, carb intake naturally drops. For instance, someone used to eat three chapatis may feel satisfied with just one or two. This simple dietary change can aid in weight control, improve blood sugar levels, and support better overall metabolic health—making pistachios a smart, healthy addition.
Reducing Healthcare Costs Through Preventive Nutrition
According to the ICMR-INDIAB study, India has 101 million diabetics and 136 million prediabetics. If even half of the prediabetics develop diabetes, the total could exceed 160 million—leading to enormous healthcare costs, including medications, surgeries, and dialysis. Preventive strategies like pistachio consumption can delay or prevent diabetes and reduce heart disease risk. This not only improves health outcomes but also significantly cuts healthcare expenses for individuals and the system.
The Role of International Collaborations in Driving Health Innovation
Collaborations like ours with APG (American Pistachio Growers) are crucial for generating strong, evidence-based research. This study helps prove that investing in healthy foods—like pistachios over junk snacks—can lead to simple, impactful health improvements nationwide.
An Opportunity for Indian Food Brands: Healthy Pistachio-Based Products
There is a huge opportunity for Indian food companies to develop pistachio-based products. But they must be careful not to undermine the health benefits by adding excess salt, sugar, or fat.
Pistachios should be consumed in as natural a form as possible, or blended with other healthy ingredients in a mindful way. Done right, this can help make healthier eating mainstream.
The Future of Pistachio Research: Beyond Diabetes
At the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, we're studying how pistachios improve gut health, reduce inflammation, and lower insulin resistance. Long-term trials are challenging, so we're pursuing large-scale observational studies over 10–15 years to explore pistachios' lasting impact on heart disease, diabetes, and obesity in real-world settings.
Can India Create Its Own 'Mediterranean Diet"?
India can create its own 'Indian Mediterranean diet' with nuts like pistachios, healthy fats, and traditional vegetables—promoting long-term health by rethinking our carb-heavy eating habits.
The Rise of Nut-Based Food Content Creators: A Boon for Public Health?
We also need the help of social media creators and health influencers to spread awareness. If people understand that a handful of pistachios daily can lower heart disease and diabetes risk, this message will stick—and habits will change.
Global Collaboration: Partners in the Pistachio Study
Our study involved collaborations with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other global experts. These partnerships ensured that our research met the highest scientific standards, making it impactful and credible.
What's Next for MDRF? Beyond Pistachios
We're working on several projects.
Studies on cashews, almonds, walnuts, and groundnuts
Research on how much carbohydrate is safe, and what should replace it—protein, fat, or something else
Childhood diabetes, gestational diabetes, and type 1 diabetes
Use of AI and machine learning in reading retinal scans for diabetes-related eye diseases
Physical activity innovations like Tandav, a 12-minute Bollywood dance workout designed by my daughter Dr. Ranjana, which uses HIIT principles
We are exploring immune markers, inflammatory markers, and metabolomics. These studies are costly, but since the early results are promising, we're talking to funders to support continued research in this area.
Conclusion: Rethinking Food as Medicine
India must shift from treatment to prevention. Adding pistachios daily is a small step with big benefits—for diabetes, heart health, and healthcare costs. It's time to see food as medicine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Eating For Immunity: Traditional Indian Foods That Heal From Within
Small daily choices, grounded in tradition and supported by science and supplemented when needed under medical advice are the way to nourish it from within In an era of pills and powders, our traditional Indian diets remind us that true immunity is built not bought. 'As both a physician and wellness coach, I find increasing resonance between what modern science proves and what our grandmothers always knew," says Dr. Aparna Santhanam, Dermatologist & Holistic Wellness Coach. Take haldi doodh, for example. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been shown to modulate immune responses and reduce systemic inflammation (Journal of Clinical Immunology, 2018). When paired with black pepper which enhances its absorption by up to 2000% (Planta Medica, 1998) it becomes a potent daily shield. Kadha, that humble brew of tulsi, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper, is not just folklore. Tulsi has demonstrated immunomodulatory effects, and ginger is known for its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties (Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2020). A warm cup daily during seasonal transitions can truly help you stay well. 'Gut health is central to immunity. Studies now affirm that fermented foods like curd, idli, and kanji improve gut microbiota diversity by directly influencing immune function (Cell, 2021). A spoon of homemade pickle or fermented rice adds even more probiotic richness," shares Dr Santhanam. But beyond what we eat, how we eat matters too. Warm, fresh meals eaten mindfully—with seasonal rhythm, cultural context, and locally sourced ingredients—play a critical role in building and maintaining immunity. At the end of the day, it's important to understand that immunity isn't built in a day or by simply popping a pill. Small daily choices, grounded in tradition and supported by science and supplemented when needed under medical advice are the way to nourish it from within, one wholesome meal and one steady habit at a time. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru's deep-tech startup proposes 'quantum' leap in cancer care
A Bengaluru-based bootstrapped deep-tech startup is leveraging quantum technology to detect cellular damage even before the symptoms appear in just hours, possibly changing the game for cancer care One among the 20-odd exhibitors at the recently concluded Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Quantum Biosciences Private Limited's "predictive tech" uses quantum biosensor to detect unique 'magnetic fingerprints' of oxidative stress in cells, allowing detection of tissue his wife was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy, Ravi Puvvala, Managing Director of Quantum Biosciences, who was earlier developing sensors for automotive industry, said he started exploring the possibility of using sensors to predict radiation-induced cardiotoxicity before irreversible damage."Radiation therapy is essential for treating cancer. But it kills not only the cancerous cells, also the good ones. This leads to long-term complications such as fatigue, cognitive decline, organ dysfunction and secondary cancers. It also potentially induces a heart disease or fibrosis. I watched my wife suffer because of some of these side effects," Puvvala told diagnostic tools, such as MRI, PET scans and blood biomarkers only detect harm after significant damage has already occurred, said Puvvala."So, I wanted to use my experience in building sensors, and, you know, explore technology, understand how to optimise this particular problem," added has been building technologies for the last 15 years, Puvvala took a quantum leap when he partnered with the Netherlands-based QT Sense, led by another Indian, Deepak Veeragowda. QT Sense was formed to take forward the 15 years of academic research done in this area at the University of Sense's Quantum Nuova is a platform technology built for detecting quantum-level phenomena like subcellular free radicals and magnetic biomarkers."For the last two years, we have been researching various potential technologies for early stage diagnostics. We looked at classical sensors and quantum sensors , and we started quantum biosensors to leverage the potential of quantum sensors," said said while quantum biosensors can tell us that there exists a certain amount of stress at the subcellular level, the next step would be to understand how to read them."Further research is needed on how to map the cellular stress to a potential biomarker, only then we can say, okay, we made the prognosis," added the first edition of the Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Puvvala reached out to researchers and other key stakeholders - including the government of Karnataka, academic institutions, acute care clinicians, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals -- exploring this idea."To build this technology, we need a whole village. We need the engineering team, we need the medical team, and we need, you know, people like us, who can put all this together," said to him, they still need to do a lot of validation with respect to the sub cellular detection."For the first time we're able to actually go inside the cell and measure all kinds of things. But now we need to be able to make sense of what these measurements mean through clinical tests. So we need to conduct tests, and we need to be able to come up with a diagnostic mechanism," said this end, Puvvala said they would be spending the next two years working with various hospitals, both in India and abroad."We want to partner with cancer centres particularly, so we could get the necessary data," said Biosciences is at present incubating its foundational research capabilities at Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and at Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) in Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, he added."We are also talking to other ecosystem leaders and state-level innovation programs to co-develop a shared infrastructure that bridges deep-science research with clinical applications," said they go past the "very base-level mechanism", the technology, said Puvvala, would benefit not only oncology, but also nephrology, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative could even help India's most basic struggle in providing health care, he added."One of the things I've heard at the conference is that most hospitals are overcrowded because the primary health care and the critical health care have been combined into one. The quantum biosensor could, you know, reduce the primary health care overload, by precisely identifying those cases that need critical care at a considerably lesser time," said Puvvala.
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Bengaluru's deep-tech startup proposes 'quantum' leap in cancer care
Agencies A Bengaluru-based bootstrapped deep-tech startup is leveraging quantum technology to detect cellular damage even before the symptoms appear in just hours, possibly changing the game for cancer care. One among the 20-odd exhibitors at the recently concluded Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Quantum Biosciences Private Limited's "predictive tech" uses quantum biosensor to detect unique 'magnetic fingerprints' of oxidative stress in cells, allowing detection of tissue injury. When his wife was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy, Ravi Puvvala, Managing Director of Quantum Biosciences, who was earlier developing sensors for automotive industry, said he started exploring the possibility of using sensors to predict radiation-induced cardiotoxicity before irreversible damage. "Radiation therapy is essential for treating cancer. But it kills not only the cancerous cells, also the good ones. This leads to long-term complications such as fatigue, cognitive decline, organ dysfunction and secondary cancers. It also potentially induces a heart disease or fibrosis. I watched my wife suffer because of some of these side effects," Puvvala told PTI. Existing diagnostic tools, such as MRI, PET scans and blood biomarkers only detect harm after significant damage has already occurred, said Puvvala. "So, I wanted to use my experience in building sensors, and, you know, explore technology, understand how to optimise this particular problem," added Puvvala. He has been building technologies for the last 15 years, Puvvala said. Things took a quantum leap when he partnered with the Netherlands-based QT Sense, led by another Indian, Deepak Veeragowda. QT Sense was formed to take forward the 15 years of academic research done in this area at the University of Groningen. QT Sense's Quantum Nuova is a platform technology built for detecting quantum-level phenomena like subcellular free radicals and magnetic biomarkers. "For the last two years, we have been researching various potential technologies for early stage diagnostics. We looked at classical sensors and quantum sensors, and we started quantum biosensors to leverage the potential of quantum sensors," said Puvvala. Puvvala said while quantum biosensors can tell us that there exists a certain amount of stress at the subcellular level, the next step would be to understand how to read them. "Further research is needed on how to map the cellular stress to a potential biomarker, only then we can say, okay, we made the prognosis," added Puvvala. At the first edition of the Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Puvvala reached out to researchers and other key stakeholders - including the government of Karnataka, academic institutions, acute care clinicians, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals -- exploring this idea. "To build this technology, we need a whole village. We need the engineering team, we need the medical team, and we need, you know, people like us, who can put all this together," said Puvvala. According to him, they still need to do a lot of validation with respect to the sub cellular detection. "For the first time we're able to actually go inside the cell and measure all kinds of things. But now we need to be able to make sense of what these measurements mean through clinical tests. So we need to conduct tests, and we need to be able to come up with a diagnostic mechanism," said Puvvala. To this end, Puvvala said they would be spending the next two years working with various hospitals, both in India and abroad. "We want to partner with cancer centres particularly, so we could get the necessary data," said Puvvala. Quantum Biosciences is at present incubating its foundational research capabilities at Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and at Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) in Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, he added. "We are also talking to other ecosystem leaders and state-level innovation programs to co-develop a shared infrastructure that bridges deep-science research with clinical applications," said Puvvala. When they go past the "very base-level mechanism", the technology, said Puvvala, would benefit not only oncology, but also nephrology, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. It could even help India's most basic struggle in providing health care, he added. "One of the things I've heard at the conference is that most hospitals are overcrowded because the primary health care and the critical health care have been combined into one. The quantum biosensor could, you know, reduce the primary health care overload, by precisely identifying those cases that need critical care at a considerably lesser time," said Puvvala. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Zomato delivered, but did the other listed unicorns? US tariff hike to hit Indian exports, may push RBI towards rate cuts Will TCS layoffs open the floodgates of mass firing at Indian IT firms? Indian IT firms never reveal the truth hiding behind 'strong' deal wins Is Bajaj Finance facing its HDFC Bank moment? Tata Motors' INR38k crore Iveco buy: Factors that can make investors nervous Stock Radar: Strides Pharma stock hits fresh 52-week high in July; will the rally continue in August? F&O Radar| Deploy Short Strangle in Nifty to gain from Theta decay For investors who can think beyond Trump: 5 large-cap stocks with an upside potential of up to 36%
