NEW DELHI: He had no red flags. No “high-risk” tag. By standard medical calculators, he was not the kind of patient doctors worry about. Then came the heart attack — sudden and without warning. Doctors say this is no longer unusual. A major Indian study suggests it may be the norm.In a retrospective analysis of more than 5,000 Indian patients, widely used global heart risk calculators failed to identify most people at risk, with around 80% of those who suffered a first heart attack not flagged as high-risk beforehand. Researchers led by Dr Mohit Dayal Gupta at GB Pant Hospital, Delhi, says Western models miss India-specific risk patterns, often placing patients in low or moderate categories despite underlying danger.These models are used by doctors to decide who needs treatment, but the study found they often misclassify risk and sometimes give conflicting results. Across models, only 11%-20% of patients were labelled high-risk, even though all eventually had a heart attack.“Indian patients and population behave totally differently. We have different risk factors, different patterns and hence Western scores may not always be appropriate,” said Dr Gupta.

‘80% Of Those Who Suffered First Heart Attack Not Labelled High-Risk’

At the core of the problem is a mismatch. Most of these risk calculators were designed using Western populations, where heart disease tends to occur later. In India, it strikes earlier and behaves differently — the study found the average age of patients was just 54, underscoring how premature heart disease has become.Researchers say Indians show a distinct “South Asian phenotype”. Heart risk appears earlier, often with diabetes and insulin resistance even at normal body weight. Cholesterol patterns are misleading — low HDL and high triglycerides, while LDL may not be very high. Many also have hidden abdominal fat despite appearing lean, a risk missed by BMI-based assessments. Smoking and psychosocial stress, along with traditional risk factors like diabetes, smoking and dyslipidemia, further add to this hidden burden.This is why Western risk scores underperform. They rely heavily on age and LDL cholesterol, leading to underestimation in younger Indians. As a result, many patients fall into an “intermediate risk” category — a grey zone that often delays preventive treatment. Crucially, these models ignore key drivers like insulin resistance, lipoprotein(a), ApoB, central obesity and chronic kidney disease.The impact is significant. These scores determine who gets preventive drugs and closer monitoring. When risk is underestimated, intervention often comes only after a major event.The findings have renewed calls for customised risk scores, as Indian populations remain poorly represented in global datasets. Experts say that until such tools are developed, risk calculators must be used alongside clinical judgment, including family history, diabetes, psychosocial stress and early screening.

NEW DELHI: In a big relief for food businesses, the country’s food regulator has made licences valid for life.Under new rules notified by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), food licences and registrations will now remain valid permanently, unless cancelled for violations. This means lakhs of restaurants, small eateries and vendors will no longer need to renew their licences every few years. The move is part of a wider overhaul aimed at making compliance easier while tightening actual food safety checks.One of the biggest gainers of the decision would be street vendors. Those already registered under street vending law will now be automatically treated as registered under food safety rules as well, removing the need for multiple registrations and fees.The regulator has also simplified how businesses are classified. Units with turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore will only need basic registration, while bigger businesses will require state or central licences based on size.The new system will come into force on April 1.Inspections, too, are set to change. Instead of routine checks, authorities will now follow a risk-based system: businesses with a good track record will face fewer inspections, while repeat offenders will be checked more closely. Officials say the idea is to reduce paperwork and focus on actual food safety.At the same time, FSSAI has made it clear that there will be no relaxation in hygiene standards, especially for high-risk sectors like dairy, meat and packaged water.With most food businesses coming under ambit of state authorities after the changes, states will play a bigger role in monitoring and enforcement.For small businesses and vendors, the message is simple: fewer licences, less hassle — but stricter checks if rules are broken.

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday underlined the need to ensure medium-to-long-term preparedness and a swift decision-making process to navigate the impact of the evolving crisis in West Asia.Rajnath made the remarks while chairing the first meeting of the informal group of ministers (IGoM) set up to monitor the situation in West Asia. The meeting was attended by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri, power minister Manohar Lal, chemicals & fertilizers minister J P Nadda, minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Prahlad Joshi, civil aviation minister K R Naidu, and science and technology minister Jitendra Singh.