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Gulf Today
03-08-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
What you eat could mean the diseases you get later: Study
What you eat could determine how many chronic illnesses you get later in life, scientists warn. Research has revealed that a healthy diet — such as the Mediterranean diet which is high in plants, fish and unsaturated fats — could slow down the accumulation of chronic diseases including dementia in older adults. Inflammatory diets full of processed meat and sugar may accelerate it. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied four diets to investigate their impact on chronic diseases in older adults. Three of the diets studied were healthy and focused on the intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, unsaturated fats and reduced intake of sweets, red meat, processed meat and butter/margarine. The fourth diet, however, was pro-inflammatory and focused on red and processed meat, refined grains and sweetened beverages, with lower intake of vegetables, tea and coffee. Researchers followed the diets of 2,400 adults aged 60 and older in Sweden for 15 years and tracked their chronic conditions. Dietary intake was measured using food frequency questionnaires, and adherence to four dietary patterns: the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII), AHEI, the Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED), and the MIND (Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay). Multimorbidity was defined as the number of chronic diseases and grouped by organ system — musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neuropsychiatric. The results published in the journal Nature Aging revealed those who followed the healthy diets had a slower development of chronic diseases. For example, long-term adherence to healthy dietary patterns, particularly the AMED, AHEI, and MIND, was linked to a slower accumulation of chronic diseases in older adults. This applied to cardiovascular disease and dementia, but not to diseases related to muscles and bones. But those who followed the pro-inflammatory diet, on the other hand, increased their risk of chronic diseases. 'Our results show how important diet is in influencing the development of multimorbidity in ageing populations,' said co-first author Adrián Carballo-Casla, postdoctoral researcher at the Aging Research Centre, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet. The protective effects of diet may be explained by reduced inflammation, a key factor in aging-related diseases. Study authors want to further their research by identify the dietary recommendations that may have the greatest impact on longevity and the groups of older adults who may benefit most from them, based on their age, gender, psychosocial background and chronic diseases. On the other hand, many people are unknowingly harming their hearts through everyday habits. Ahead of Heart Awareness Month, a leading cardiologist highlighted behaviours that could be putting your cardiovascular health at risk. From sleep to stress levels, the impact of these habits can be more significant than you think. 1. Lack of physical activity: 'A sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol, and increased blood pressure, all of which increase your risk for cardiovascular disease,' warns Dr Christopher Broyd, consultant cardiologist at Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital. 'Regular exercise is crucial for heart health.' But there's no need to pressure yourself into hitting the gym every day – just start with small steps. 'Begin with simple activities like walking, stretching, or using a stationary bike,' recommends Broyd. 'Even short bursts of activity, such as 10-minute walks, can add up over time and gradually increase your stamina.' And, most importantly, choose activities that you enjoy. 2. Chronic stress: Chronic stress – such as that caused by demanding jobs or family issues – can contribute to heart problems, says the cardiologist. 'Prolonged stress can negatively affect the heart by raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke,' explains Broyd. 'Stress also encourages unhealthy coping mechanisms, like overeating or smoking. 'Chronic job stress can elevate blood pressure, lead to poor eating habits, and disrupt sleep, all of which can harm heart health over time.' 3. Not prioritising slee p: 'Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can increase blood pressure, contribute to obesity, and disrupt the body's natural repair processes,' says Broyd. 'Sleep disorders like sleep apnoea can also significantly affect heart health.' To aid natural, restful sleep, the cardiologist recommends establishing a consistent sleep schedule. 'Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends,' advises Broyd. 'This helps regulate your body's internal clock and promotes a more consistent sleep pattern. 4. Not getting enough sunlight : 'A lack of sunlight exposure can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which has been linked to higher blood pressure, inflammation, and an increased risk of heart disease,' says Broyd. 'Safe sun exposure or supplementation can help maintain heart health.' This is especially important in the winter months, so make sure you take advantage of breaks at work by heading outside. The Independent
Hans India
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Google launches new AI innovations to strengthen agri sector
Bengaluru: To strengthen India's agriculture sector and make AI models more sensitive to the country's linguistic and cultural diversity, Google launched a new agricultural monitoring and event detection (AMED) application programming interface (API). The company also announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur to build localised datasets on India's rich cultural tapestry. It will help in equipping global Large Language Models with better linguistic and cultural context at the local level. The new mechanism will provide information on crops and field activity across India that will eventually empower the ecosystem to build targeted solutions that support agricultural productivity and resilience, the global tech giant said in a statement. The API details the type of crop on individual fields across India, as well as each field's size and corresponding sowing and harvesting dates. It will also provide historical information of last three years about the agricultural activity in each field. 'With AI research -- and especially with AMED building on the foundation of ALU -- we're working on accelerating crucial shifts, transforming broad insights to granular, real-time data, so that increasingly impactful solutions not only translate into benefit for India's farmers, but also bolster the nation against rising climate risks,' said Alok Talekar, lead, agriculture and sustainability research lead, Google DeepMind. 'At Google, along with charting new frontiers in foundational AI, which forms the backbone of many of our launches in the Gemini era, we have continued advancing fundamental research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity,' said Dr Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind. By adding more localised data — such as various languages, dialects, and cultural quirks that aren't currently included in AI training — Google's Amplify Initiative seeks to fill in knowledge gaps in Large Language models. 'We're thrilled to collaborate with Google on the Amplify Initiative and open a new chapter in global AI development,' stated Dr Mainack Mandal, Assistant Professor, IIT Kharagpur.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Google launches AI innovations to make agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient
Google on Thursday unveiled new open-source AI innovations and initiatives aimed at strengthening India's agriculture sector and making AI models more sensitive to the country's linguistic and cultural diversity. The company launched the Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) API that provides information on crops and field activity across India, empowering the ecosystem to build targeted solutions that support agricultural productivity and resilience. Researchers at Google DeepMind have also collaborated with IIT-Kharagpur to build localized datasets on India's rich cultural tapestry as part of Google's Amplify Initiative, aiming to help equip global Large Language Models with better linguistic and cultural context. Speaking at a roundtable in Ananta, Google's office in Bengaluru, Dr. Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind said, 'At Google, along with charting new frontiers in foundational AI, which forms the backbone of many of our launches in the Gemini era, we have continued advancing fundamental research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity.'' According to Alok Talekar, Lead, Agriculture and Sustainability Research Lead, Google DeepMind, with AI research and especially with AMED building on the foundation of ALU (Agricultural Landscape Understanding) , Google was working on accelerating crucial shifts, transforming broad insights to granular, real-time data, so that increasingly impactful solutions not only translate into benefit for India's farmers, but also bolster the nation against rising climate risks. Madhurima Maji, Lead Program Manager, Amplify Initiative for India at Google said, AI models could be even more helpful with a deeper understanding of the vastness and complexity of the lived human experience. ``Through the Amplify Initiative, we are meticulously building the rich, hyperlocal context and cultural understanding that transforms raw information into profound knowledge. So that any and every Large Language Model can be fundamentally helpful and genuinely relevant to diverse realities,'' he added. Dr. Mainack Mandal, Assistant Professor, IIT Kharagpur stated: 'We've been inspired by the results this initiative has achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa, and look forward to ensuring that the groundwork we lay here translates into AI which is more responsive to India's incredible plurality.' According to Google, Amplify Initiative was piloted in Sub-Saharan Africa and has created an annotated dataset of over 8000 queries in seven African languages authored collaboratively with 155 experts, addressing a range of topics from chronic disease to misinformation. In India, the local partner for the Amplify Initiative would begin building datasets related to specific issues, including in healthcare and safety, in multiple Indic languages, it added.
India Gazette
10-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Google unveils open-source AI innovations to strengthen Indian agriculture, reflect culture
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 10 (ANI): Google has unveiled a new open-source AI innovations and initiatives, aimed at strengthening India's agriculture sector and making AI models more sensitive to the country's linguistic and cultural diversity. As per a statement on Thursday, the company launched the Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) API that it said provides information on crops and field activity across India, empowering the ecosystem to build targeted solutions that support agricultural productivity and resilience. Researchers at Google DeepMind have also collaborated with IIT-Kharagpur to build localised datasets on India's rich cultural tapestry as part of Google's Amplify Initiative, aiming to help equip global Large Language Models with better linguistic and cultural context. Speaking at a roundtable in Ananta, Google's newest office, Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind said: 'At Google, along with charting new frontiers in foundational AI, which forms the backbone of many of our launches in the Gemini era, we have continued advancing fundamental research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity.' 'We've been inspired by the solutions India's innovators have unlocked with these capabilities, demonstrating AI to be a powerful catalyst for multiplier impact and unprecedented effectiveness. We remain committed to growing this momentum and enabling the benefits of helpful and inclusive AI to reach everyone across India,' added Gupta. Aimed at making agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient, and solutions for India's agri sector more effective, AMED API, developed by Google Deepmind and Google Partnerships Innovation team, builds upon Google's ALU API, and now leverages crop labels, raw satellite imagery and machine learning to assist crop monitoring and detection of agricultural events on fields across the country. The API details the type of crop on individual fields across India, as well as each field's size and corresponding sowing and harvesting dates. The API even provides historical information about the agricultural activity in each field for the last three years. These insights can help the ecosystem build the next generation of AI-enabled solutions that significantly strengthen agricultural management on farms, contributing to addressing the specific needs of each crop, including the right soil and water conditions, growing habits, and climatic need, as well as predicting harvest volume. Alok Talekar, Lead, Agriculture and Sustainability Research Lead, Google DeepMind, said: 'Our commitment to the sustainable growth of India's agricultural sector deepens with every innovation. With AI research - and especially with AMED building on the foundation of ALU - we're working on accelerating crucial shifts, transforming broad insights to granular, real-time data, so that increasingly impactful solutions not only translate into benefit for India's farmers, but also bolster the nation against rising climate risks.' (ANI)
Mint
10-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Google unveils open-source AI innovations to strengthen Indian agriculture, reflect culture
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 10 (ANI): Google has unveiled a new open-source AI innovations and initiatives, aimed at strengthening India's agriculture sector and making AI models more sensitive to the country's linguistic and cultural diversity. As per a statement on Thursday, the company launched the Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) API that it said provides information on crops and field activity across India, empowering the ecosystem to build targeted solutions that support agricultural productivity and resilience. You may be interested in Researchers at Google DeepMind have also collaborated with IIT-Kharagpur to build localised datasets on India's rich cultural tapestry as part of Google's Amplify Initiative, aiming to help equip global Large Language Models with better linguistic and cultural context. Speaking at a roundtable in Ananta, Google's newest office, Manish Gupta, Senior Director for India and APAC at Google DeepMind said: "At Google, along with charting new frontiers in foundational AI, which forms the backbone of many of our launches in the Gemini era, we have continued advancing fundamental research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity." "We've been inspired by the solutions India's innovators have unlocked with these capabilities, demonstrating AI to be a powerful catalyst for multiplier impact and unprecedented effectiveness. We remain committed to growing this momentum and enabling the benefits of helpful and inclusive AI to reach everyone across India," added Gupta. Aimed at making agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient, and solutions for India's agri sector more effective, AMED API, developed by Google Deepmind and Google Partnerships Innovation team, builds upon Google's ALU API, and now leverages crop labels, raw satellite imagery and machine learning to assist crop monitoring and detection of agricultural events on fields across the country. The API details the type of crop on individual fields across India, as well as each field's size and corresponding sowing and harvesting dates. The API even provides historical information about the agricultural activity in each field for the last three years. These insights can help the ecosystem build the next generation of AI-enabled solutions that significantly strengthen agricultural management on farms, contributing to addressing the specific needs of each crop, including the right soil and water conditions, growing habits, and climatic need, as well as predicting harvest volume. Alok Talekar, Lead, Agriculture and Sustainability Research Lead, Google DeepMind, said: "Our commitment to the sustainable growth of India's agricultural sector deepens with every innovation. With AI research - and especially with AMED building on the foundation of ALU - we're working on accelerating crucial shifts, transforming broad insights to granular, real-time data, so that increasingly impactful solutions not only translate into benefit for India's farmers, but also bolster the nation against rising climate risks." (ANI)
