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A Dubai based fitness trainer and an online fitness coach Georgia Heins shared her journey of trying out an all carnivore-diet for 8 weeks. She shared that she saw abs like never before but also "lost" her period. She said, "I also lost my period, developed PCOS and felt more lifeless than my house plants and they have been dead for months." Then came the acne, she shared.
The video was then shared by Dr Karan Rajan, who is a UK based NHS surgeon and a social media medical educator who pointed out how the role of fiber in enterohepatic circulation impacts its function in estrogen processing. He says, "If you are a woman thinking about going carnivore, there is one crucial thing you need to know first."
He explains that fiber affects a woman's reproductive health. Your body metabolizes and clears out excess estrogen. The doctor says, "it is not just about glorious dumps". If your body does not have enough fiber, your body will not have a proper clearance. He goes on to explain that when your liver dumps estrogen into your gut without fiber to bind to it and remove it, the same estrogen can be reabsorbed by your intestines. This can then lead to hormonal imbalances that "wreak havoc on everything from your cycle to your skin to even your metabolism, skin issues and hormonal acne". Thanks to excessive estrogen, mood swings, anxiety, and low energy is quite normal to experience. It also then leads to gut-brain dysfunction. He also reminds that the "whole no fiber thing can leave your entire fudge factory backed up".
If you ever google search "Carnivore Diet for PCOS", chances are that you would find a lot about it. If you are struggling with PCOS, the thought to change your diet, go for an extreme low-carb diet, like the carnivore diet, for easing PCOS symptoms too may have crossed your mind. But not always does it help.
The carnivore diet means eating meat and meat alone. It cuts out all other food groups, which means it is also cutting out the nutrition you get from plant-based diets, mainly fiber. However, an all-meat diet leads to consumption of high amounts of sodium, and processed meat can actually lead to high cholesterol, and you will more likely develop high blood pressure, and would be at risk of heart diseases.
Furthermore, when fiber is cut down, as it is the case in an all carnivore diet, women are prone to developing PCOS. As per a 2022 study published in journal Nutrients, titled Lower Fiber Consumption in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies, noted that the deficiency of dietary fiber, a crucial nutrient in daily diet is also associated with a wide range of metabolic and reproductive abnormalities.
Furthermore, lack of fiber in the diet of someone with PCOS can also throw off the blood sugar levels and can increase insulin resistance and other metabolic disturbances which are associated with this condition.
Go for a well balanced diet and include:
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently urged Indian households to reduce their cooking oil consumption by at least 10 per cent.
While the appeal is part of a broader strategy to decrease India’s heavy reliance on imports, which currently accounts for 65 per cent of its edible oil needs, and comes amid the escalating Iran-US war, health experts said that this should become the norm in the country, burdened with chronic diseases.
High consumption of edible oils, particularly those high in saturated and trans fats like palm oil, is strongly linked to a higher risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
These NCDs are also the leading cause of mortality in India, accounting for approximately 63–66 per cent of all deaths.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to reduce oil consumption is not just a temporary health message, but a lifestyle habit every Indian family should adopt permanently. Excessive oil intake has become one of the major contributors to rising obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease cases in India, especially among younger populations,” Dr. Arvind Dambalkar, Senior Consultant & Head – Interventional Cardiology, Sarvodaya Hospital, Faridabad, told HealthandMe.
Dr. Madhu Nahar Roy, Director, Internal Medicine - Paras Health Udaipur, added that the message on reducing oil consumption is timely, especially as lifestyle diseases continue to rise across India.
PM Modi first urged Indians to reduce cooking oil consumption by 10 per cent during his 79th Independence Day address, highlighting the need to tackle the rapidly rising burden of obesity and lifestyle diseases in India.
"In the coming years, obesity can become a major challenge for our country," the Prime Minister said. "If every family decides to reduce the use of cooking oil by 10 per cent, it will benefit the health of the nation."
Also read: India Launches SEHAT Mission To Connect Farming With Nutrition And Health
Again, in April, on World Health Day, he reiterated that adopting healthier eating habits, such as reducing oil usage, is “not just a personal decision but a social responsibility”.
He called for immediate action to prevent such a scenario and proposed a simple change: "I want to take a promise from you today that we all should reduce our cooking oil by 10 per cent. This will be a big step towards reducing obesity."
India now ranks second globally in the number of overweight and obese children, according to the World Obesity Atlas.
If current trends continue, nearly 56 million children in the country could be affected by 2040.
As per the International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas, India has 89.8 million adults diagnosed with diabetes, with projections suggesting that number will grow to a massive 156.7 million in 2050.
Further, in India, more than 1 in 4 people have hypertension, and cumulatively, more than 90 per cent of adults with hypertension are either undiagnosed, untreated, or treated but live with uncontrolled hypertension.
At the same time, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in India, accounting for nearly 28 per cent of all deaths and 45 per cent of NCD deaths.
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Dr. Arvind noted that fried and processed foods increase unhealthy fat accumulation, disturb cholesterol levels, and put long-term stress on the heart.
“A family of four should limit edible oil consumption to around 3 to 4 liters per month, as recommended by health experts. Choosing balanced, home-cooked meals with controlled oil can significantly improve overall Cardiac Health,” he said.
The expert noted that refined oils are not inherently harmful, but excessive consumption and repeated reheating can increase unhealthy fat intake and inflammation.
“For Indian cooking, mustard oil is beneficial for traditional high-heat cooking due to its good fatty acid profile, olive oil works well for salads and light sautéing, while sunflower oil should be used in moderation and rotated with other oils,” Dr. Madhu told HealthandMe.
The expert also stated that adopting healthier cooking methods, such as air frying, steaming, roasting, and grilling, can help reduce excess calorie and fat consumption significantly.
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Dozens of food products, including chocolates, snack mixes, popcorn, chips, and nuts, have been recalled in the US over the risk of salmonella contamination.
The recall is due to a specific ingredient — milk powder supplied by California Dairies — used in several products and snacks, particularly in seasonings.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the potentially tainted powdered milk and buttermilk were voluntarily recalled on April 20.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Powders:
Also read:India Launches SEHAT Mission To Connect Farming With Nutrition And Health
The FDA urges people who purchased the products to throw them away or return them for a refund.
A separate Salmonella recall impacting 12 flavors of the popular chocolate brand Spring & Mulberry was also recently announced by the FDA, but appeared to be linked to a date supplier. It wasn't immediately clear if there was any connection to the California Dairies recall.
Another is a public health alert issued by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for headcheese over possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).
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As per the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis. It can be spread by food handlers who do not wash their hands and/or the surfaces and tools they use between food preparation steps. It can also happen when people consume uncooked and raw food. Salmonella can also spread from animals to people.
The FDA notes that people who have direct contact with certain animals, including poultry and reptiles, can spread the bacteria from the animal to food if hand washing hygiene is not practiced.
Pets, too, could spread the bacteria within the home environment if they eat food contaminated with Salmonella.
Common symptoms of Salmonella include
Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe illness.
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In a major national initiative connecting agriculture, nutrition, and public health, India today launched the ‘SEHAT Mission’ — Science Excellence for Health through Agricultural Transformation.
Launched in the national capital Delhi, is a joint national mission of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that aims to link agriculture with better nutrition, disease prevention, farmer welfare, and science-based policymaking.
The mission aims to build a framework for ‘Healthy Food, Healthy Farms and a Healthy India’.
“The ‘SEHAT Mission’ represents a major transformation in India’s policy-making approach, where the government is no longer focusing only on treatment but also on prevention, early detection and continuous care,” said Union Health Minister JP Nadda at the launch. He said the initiative demonstrates that India is now moving ahead with a proactive rather than reactive healthcare approach.
Nadda noted that India must now develop indigenous solutions rooted in its own scientific research, institutional experience, and evidence-based practices.
“Low-cost, high-quality and scientifically validated solutions will be the most useful for the country, and ICMR is fully committed to working in this direction,” Nadda said.
The mission will play a significant role in addressing both malnutrition and the rapidly rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.
It will focus on:
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The initiative will work towards improving the health and safety of farmers and agricultural laborers to reduce risk from exposure to pesticides, imbalanced use of chemicals, and hazardous conditions faced during agricultural work.
It also seeks to establish stronger institutional coordination between agriculture and medical research systems so that food production, public nutrition, and disease prevention can be addressed through integrated planning and scientific collaboration.
Officials associated with the program said the initiative is expected to create a scientific framework under which agriculture policy, nutrition strategies, and healthcare systems can work together in a coordinated manner.
The launch of the mission comes at a time when India is increasingly facing dual challenges of nutritional deficiencies on one hand and rising lifestyle-related diseases on the other.
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The initiative is expected to lead to
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