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‘Women should improve overall fitness before conceiving, baby’s health depends on it’
During the event, Zaw Ali Khan, additional director of the Era University, threw light on the dietary sciences for complex diseases.
LUCKNOW: Health of the newborn depends largely on the health of the mother and therefore, women should improve their overall fitness before conceiving a child, said experts at the two-day World Congress on Clinical Nutrition (WCCN). The 25th edition of the event kicked off at the city-based Era University on Saturday.
Speaking at the event, Dr Raja Sriswan M from the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, said, “If a woman is physically weak, she should first improve their health before conceiving. Another thing to keep in mind is that even with low birth weight, the mother should keep the newborn exclusively on breastmilk. Nature has given the power to the mother to produce enough milk for the baby even if she is weak herself.” Dr Raja has also worked on a food model for the management of acute malnutrition.
Weighing in on the topic, Professor Vijayalakshmi Venkatesan, former director of research at the National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, said, “According to statistics, one-third of Indians suffer from obesity. Out of these, there are more women than men. Several women also put on weight due to hormonal imbalances.”
Echoing a similar opinion, Dr Amita Shukla, a senior gynaecologist at the Lucknow-based SC Trivedi Trust Hospital, said, “Both homemakers and working women have been found to be ignorant of their health. They often neglect the early symptoms of diseases. This aggravates the problem. Obesity is one of those preventable health issues that a majority of women go through.”
During the event, Zaw Ali Khan, additional director of the Era University, threw light on the dietary sciences for complex diseases. “We have set up an analysis lab where the causes of diseases are figured out. Subsequently, clinical nutrition is planned to combat the disease. Our efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic kept the recovery rate at Era University around 90%. This was despite us treating 4,200 Covid patients, including several serious cases that need ICU care.”
Other speakers at the event included -- Dr Zeeshan Fatima, the associate professor of Amity University; and KGMU professors MMA Faridi, Dr Kauser Usman, and NS Verma.
‘Stem cells from newborn’s placenta possible cure for obesity’
Stem cells obtained from the placenta of a newborn can be a possible cure for obesity, said Professor Vijayalakshmi Venkatesan, the former director of research at the National Institute of Nutrition. He pointed out that obesity is one of the major causes of diabetes as well. The medical expert added that the therapy, tested on rats, delivered encouraging results. He was speaking at the 25th World Congress on Clinical Nutrition at Lucknow-based Era University on Saturday.
