Muscle loss, or sarcopenia, was once considered a condition affecting only the elderly — but new research shows it's now showing up in adults as young as their 30s and 40s. In this episode, host Kamini Mathai, coordinating editor with TOI, speaks with Dr Nitin Kapoor, Professor and Head of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Christian Medical College and Hospital Vellore, about why sarcopenia is on the rise in India and what can be done about it.

Dr Kapoor shares findings from a decade-long Kerala cohort study showing sarcopenia prevalence jumping from 4% to nearly 35% in younger adults, explains the surprising link between diabetes, insulin resistance and muscle breakdown, and discusses how weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s can accelerate muscle loss. The conversation covers practical, at-home ways to assess your muscle health (calf circumference, grip strength, walk speed), the three pillars of sarcopenia prevention (nutrition, exercise, and calcium/vitamin D), and why 10,000 steps a day isn't enough to protect your muscles as you age.

Whether you're managing diabetes, considering weight-loss medication, or simply want to age with strength and independence, this episode offers science-backed, actionable guidance from one of India's leading experts in metabolic health.

Before you tune out, do listen to the nutrition power tip of the week by nutritionist Pooja Makhija (https://www.nourishgenie.com/)

Chapters:

01:20 – What Is Sarcopenia? Defining Muscle Weakness, Mass & Function

02:23 – The Kerala Cohort Study: Sarcopenia Jumps from 4% to 35%

04:35 – Is Sarcopenia Rising Globally or Just in India?

05:02 – The Diabetes–Muscle Loss Connection Explained

07:57 – GLP-1 & Anti-Obesity Drugs: The Hidden Muscle Loss Risk

09:36 – Why Women Lose More Muscle Than Men on These Drugs

11:02 – The 3 Pillars of Sarcopenia Prevention

14:31 – Managing Lactose Intolerance & Calcium Supplementation

15:56 – Secondary Causes of Sarcopenia & Emerging Medications

16:23 – Dr. Kapoor's Personal Routine: Swimming for Muscle Health

17:47 – "But I Walk 10,000 Steps a Day!" — Why Aerobic Isn't Enough

20:34 – How Much Muscle Do We Lose Per Decade?

21:34 – Starting Strength Training Safely in Your 50s & 60s

23:19 – At-Home Tests: Grip Strength, Body Composition, Walk Speed

25:35 – Closing Thoughts: "A Stitch in Time Saves Nine"

Photographs are memories but clicking too many can impair the very experience they are trying to preserve. In this episode, Anuradha Vellat, Assistant Editor with TOI, speaks to two experts — cognitive scientist and IIT professor Jaison Manjaly, and clinical psychologist Nupur Dhakephalkar — about what scientists call the 'photo-taking impairment effect', a phenomenon where we are distracted from the experience of that perfect sunset because we are trying to capture its essence on our cameras and phones.

Manjaly explains how memory is inseparable from attention. Zooming in, staying curious about a subject, and revisiting images later all strengthen recall, while mindless, rapid-fire clicking, now enabled by smartphones, floods our galleries with photos we never really encoded in the first place. Dhakephalkar unpacks how social media compounds this, turning presence into performance. We start photographing not to remember an experience, but to be seen, chasing likes and 'aura' over lived, felt experience. Her fix is simple — an 80-20 ratio, eyes first, lens second, favouring fewer, more deliberate and intentional photographs of what is meaningful to us, rather than merely what looks beautiful.

Before you put your phone down, tune in to hear why the most photographed moments are often the ones we remember the least.

And before you tune out, do check out the nutrition power tip by nutritionist Sangeetha Aiyer (https://www.rewriteyourstory.in/) in the end.

Chapters

00:00 - Photos That Steal The Sunset

01:37 - How The Brain Decides What's Worth Remembering

03:11 - Photo-Taking Impairment Effect, Explained

04:14 - Sight Over Sound: Why Visual Memory Gets Priority

06:22 - Smartphones Didn't Invent This, They Amplified It

09:52 - Is Outsourcing Memory Actually Irrational?

11:12 - Clicking to Remember Recipes — So Why Do We Still Forget?

13:45 - Volume Vs Retrieval: Why Bigger Camera Rolls Mean Fewer Memories

16:08 - When Forgetting Signals Something More Than Photos

17:15 - Videos And The Concert You Never Quite Experienced

20:06 - Zoom-In Effect: Attention As The Key to Memory

28:17 - FOMO, Aura Farming & Turning Experience Into Performance

29:47 - Eyes First, Lens Second: 80:20 Rule For Mindful Memory

31:52 - Photos As Storytelling: Final Takeaways

Heart disease is no longer a condition associated only with older adults. Across India, cardiologists are seeing an increasing number of younger patients with heart attacks, raising important questions about early detection, prevention and the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment.

In this episode, Anuja Jaiswal, a Senior Assistant Editor with TOI, speaks with Dr Ambuj Roy, professor of cardiology at AIIMS, New Delhi, about how heart care has evolved over the past two decades, and what patients need to know in order to protect themselves.

Dr Roy explains the difference between a calcium score and a CT coronary angiography, when a heart CT scan is actually needed, and why routine CT screening for everyone above 40 is not recommended despite the growing burden of heart disease. He discusses how doctors decide between ECG, echocardiography, CT angiography and cardiac MRI, depending on the patient’s symptoms and clinical suspicion.

The conversation also explores why heart attacks are becoming more common among young Indians, highlighting the role of unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stress and air pollution. Dr Roy explains how managing these risk factors can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease.

The episode examines the growing role of artificial intelligence in interpreting ECGs, echocardiograms and CT scans, and whether AI can improve access to quality cardiac diagnosis in resource-constrained settings. It also addresses one of the biggest debates in cardiology: are stents being overused? Dr Roy explains when stents are lifesaving, when medicines may be enough, and why patients with stable heart disease should make informed decisions.

The episode concludes with practical advice on recognising heart attack symptoms, immediate first aid, understanding blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol targets, and adopting healthier lifestyles to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Last but not the least, there’s a nutrition tip by nutritionist Sangeetha Aiyer (https://www.rewriteyourstory.in/). Do Listen!

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction: Why heart disease is rising in young Indians

01:03 – What is a Heart CT Scan? Calcium Score vs CT Angiography

03:05 – ECG, Echo, CT Scan or MRI: Which Heart Test Do You Need?

05:34 – Should Everyone Above 40 Get a Heart CT Scan?

09:24 – Why Are More Young Indians Suffering Heart Attacks?

11:19 – Major Heart Attack Risk Factors You Should Never Ignore

12:32 – How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Heart Diagnosis

14:38 – Are Stents Overused? When They Save Lives and When They Don't

18:24 – Can Patients Tell If They Really Need a Stent?

19:11 – Three Essential Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy

21:06 – First Aid During a Heart Attack: What Should You Do?

22:05 – Why an ECG in the First Hour Can Save Your Heart

23:20 – Final Takeaways from Dr Ambuj Roy