Rashi Vaidya

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

India ran the most important cardiovascular study of the 20th century by accident, and then immediately forgot about it.

In 1967, Dr. S.L. Malhotra published a study in the British Heart Journal examining heart disease rates among 1.5 million Indian railway employees. The population was extraordinarily useful for research purposes: same employer, same healthcare access, comparable income and working conditions, spread across the entire country.

The only meaningful variable was geography. Which meant diet.

North Indian railway workers: Punjab, Rajasthan, UP, ate a diet built around ghee and dairy fat. They consumed up to 19 times more fat than their southern counterparts. The fat was primarily saturated: clarified butter, milk fat, the short-chain saturated fatty acids that Ancel Keys had recently been telling the Western world were arterial death.

South Indian railway workers ate a diet based on rice, sambar, and seed oils: groundnut oil and sesame oil, primarily. They ate considerably less fat overall. By the standards of dietary advice being formulated in the 1960s, they should have been the healthy ones.

Heart disease mortality in South India: 135 per 100,000.

Heart disease mortality in North India: 20 per 100,000.
Seven times higher in the population eating seed oils.

Among railway sweepers specifically, the lowest-paid, most physically active workers, the gap was even wider. Heart disease was fifteen times more common in the South Indian sweeper population than in the North Indian sweeper population.

Malhotra controlled for everything he could reach: smoking, where Northerners actually smoked more. Activity levels, where the relationship was inconsistent. Socioeconomic status, where executives died more often than sweepers regardless of region. He found no variable that explained the gap except the type of fat in the diet.

He published the data. In a peer-reviewed journal. In 1967.

The study was cited periodically, acknowledged as methodologically interesting, and then set aside.

The decade in which Malhotra published was the decade in which Ancel Keys's fat hypothesis was being converted into policy. The American Heart Association was issuing guidance recommending polyunsaturated vegetable oils as replacements for saturated animal fats. The food industry was producing seed oils at industrial scale. The infrastructure of seed oil promotion was being built, expensively and with great institutional momentum.

A study showing that populations eating animal fat had a fraction of the heart disease of populations eating seed oils was not, in that context, a study that anyone particularly wanted to follow up.

Nobody followed up.

Almost sixty years later, the finding stands unrefuted in the literature.

It is not in the dietary guidelines.

[World of Statistics @stats_feed]

Most popular drinks:

🇦🇱 Albania: Raki
🇦🇹 Austria: Almdudler
🇩🇿 Algeria: coffee, tea
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda: Rum
🇦🇷 Argentina: Mate, wine
🇦🇺 Australia: Coffee, LLB
🇧🇸 Bahamas: Switcha
🇧🇾 Belarus: Byarozavik
🇧🇪 Belgium: Beer
🇧🇷 Brazil: Caipirinha
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina: Rakija, coffee
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Rakia
🇨🇦 Canada: Caesar
🇭🇷 Croatia: Rakija, Pelinkovac
🇨🇱 Chile: Pisco sour
🇨🇳 China: Tea
🇨🇴 Colombia: Aguardiente, coffee
🇨🇿 Czechia: Kofola, Pilsner
🇨🇺 Cuba: Mojito, Cuba Libre
🇩🇰 Denmark: Akavit, Snaps, Brännvin
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Cider, gin
🇪🇬 Egypt: Black tea, sugarcane
🇪🇹 Ethiopia: Coffee
🇪🇨 Ecuador: Chicha
🇪🇪 Estonia: Viru Valge
🇫🇮 Finland: Lonkero
🇫🇷 France: Champagne, red wine
🇩🇪 Germany: Lager
🇬🇪 Georgia: Chacha, red wine
🇬🇷 Greece: Ouzo
🇭🇺 Hungary: Pálinka
🇮🇸 Iceland: Brennivín, Appelsín
🇮🇳 India: Tea, lassi
🇮🇩 Indonesia: Es teler
🇮🇷 Iran: Doogh
🇮🇪 Ireland: Guinness
🇮🇹 Italy: Chinotto
🇯🇵 Japan: Sake, green tea
🇱🇻 Latvia: Riga black balsam
🇲🇾 Malaysia: Air mata kucing, Teh tarik
🇲🇽 Mexico: Tequila
🇳🇱 Netherlands: Jenever
🇳🇬 Nigeria: Akpeteshie
🇳🇴 Norway: Akvavit, Solo
🇵🇰 Pakistan: Sugarcane juice
🇵🇱 Poland: Vodka
🇵🇹 Portugal: Port wine, Sangria
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: Piña colada
🇷🇺 Russia: Kvass, vodka, kompot
🇷🇸 Serbia: Rakija
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: Scotch
🇰🇷 South Korea: Soju
🇪🇸 Spain: Sangria
🇸🇪 Sweden: Brännvin, Punsch, Akvavit
🇨🇭 Switzerland: Rivella
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Arabic coffee
🇿🇦 South Africa: Beer, Springbokkie, Boeber
🇹🇼 Taiwan: Bubble tea
🇹🇷 Turkey: Tea, Raki, ayran
🇦🇪 UAE: Arabic coffee
🇺🇦 Ukraine: Horilka, Kvass
🇬🇧 UK: Tea
🇺🇸 USA: Coffee, Coca-Cola
🇺🇾 Uruguay: Mate
🇻🇪 Venezuela: Rum, tizana
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales: Perry

[Jiddu @_jiddu]

@rishibagree Forget the flashy headlines!!

Let’s cut through the noise with hard data on 🇮🇳

•11.28 % Indians under Poverty
•18% Indians are unemployed
•1,77,177 people died in accident in 2024
•10,786 farmers sucide in 2023
• 29,670 rapes happen in 2023
• 81 rapes happen in a day

[Rishi Bagree @rishibagree]

Forget the flashy headlines!!

Let’s cut through the noise with hard data on 🇮🇳

• Over 40 Crore motor vehicles ply on Indian roads
• 55% of Indian households own an automobile (primarily two-wheelers; ~8% own cars)
• 15% of households have an air conditioner
• 60% of households have refrigerators
• 80% of households have a television
• 30% of households have a washing machine
• 25% of households have a TV, fridge & washing machine (proxy for higher-income segment)
• 900 million smartphone users in India
• 150 million people hold crypto assets
• 500 million people play online gaming
• 31 million Indians travelled abroad annually
• 167 million domestic air passengers in 2025
• 7 billion passenger journeys by rail annually
• 660 million pilgrims at Maha Kumbh 2025
• 12 million weddings happen in India annually
• With average 300–500 guests per wedding, that's billions of wedding participants across the country (massive economic & social activity)
• 1 billion internet users
• 50% of households have comprehensive basic amenities (separate kitchen, toilet, bathroom & proper waste disposal -significant progress post-Swachh Bharat)
• 70% of households live in pucca houses
• 120 million watches sold annually
• Gold consumption in India is 800 tonnes annually (jewellery + investment)
• 1 billion debit cards and
•110 million credit cards in circulation

[THE SKIN DOCTOR @theskindoctor13]

Until now, the minimum qualifying criterion for PG medical seats for SC, ST, and OBC candidates was the 40th percentile, about 235 marks out of 800.

As per an order of the Ministry of Health, this has been reduced to the 0th percentile, meaning even a score of –40 out of 800 is now eligible, subject to seat availability.

The one profession that directly deals with life and death, where competence should be sacred and non-negotiable,has been dragged down to this level. Perhaps this is the only country in the world where such a dangerous dilution of standards is not just tolerated, but actively encouraged.

[Rashi Vaidya @rashi_mab]

@Smriti12_6 Great...keep it up

[Smriti Verma @Smriti12_6]

One Year One Ton Milestone ✅
This is how a year of consistent mutual efforts looks like.
Grateful to everyone & every child who didn't treat waste as waste but collected carried clean, dry waste and made this milestone possible to achieve. #gratitudejourney

[The Spectator Index @spectatorindex]

On this day, six years ago on the 1st of December, 2019, a man in Wuhan, China, developed symptoms and became the index case for COVID-19.

There have been over 778 million confirmed cases and 7.1 million deaths since then.

[Muthukrishnan Dhandapani @dmuthuk]

From coming January, any cheque deposited would be cleared within 3 hours and money would be credited to your account within the subsequent hour. So, it would not take more than 4 hours from the time you deposit to receive the credit.

[Rashi Vaidya @rashi_mab]

@pranavmahajan Yes, felt it in noida

[Rashi Vaidya @rashi_mab]

@Smriti12_6 Beautiful click

[Smriti Verma @Smriti12_6]

इश्क़ का रंग सफ़ेद... 💞
ना छल ना कपट ना भेद...
#Gratitudejourney
#calmbegetscalm
#PeaceAndLove

[Smriti Verma @Smriti12_6]

The next time you use an elevated emotion to tune in to your future & embrace those feelings before the event unfolds & feel gratitude that the event has already occurred -just know that the worst thing that probably can happen to you is that you begin to heal.
#Gratitudejourney

[THE SKIN DOCTOR @theskindoctor13]

Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, divided by language, united by turning into river rafting spots within 15 minutes of rain.

This is an underpass in Delhi Cantt. Doesn’t seem like an old construction. Wonder why we don’t focus much on drainage and stormwater management.

[Aditya Raj Kaul @AdityaRajKaul]

Important Aviation Announcement #India

All Civil Airports shut earlier have resumed Ops.

Attention Flyers; reference notice issued for temporary closure of 32 Airports for civil Aircraft operations till 05:29 hrs of 15 May 2025. It is informed that these Airports are now available for civil Aircraft operations with immediate effect.

It is recommended for travellers to check flight status directly with Airlines and monitor Airline's websites for regular updates.

[Ministry of Defence, Government of India @SpokespersonMoD]

India has launched #OperationSindoor, a precise and restrained response to the barbaric #PahalgamTerrorAttack that claimed 26 lives, including one Nepali citizen. Focused strikes were carried out on nine #terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, targeting the roots of cross-border terror planning. Importantly, no Pakistani military facilities were hit, reflecting India’s calibrated and non-escalatory approach. This operation underscores India’s resolve to hold perpetrators accountable while avoiding unnecessary provocation. A detailed briefing on the operation will follow later today.

Read more: https://t.co/GYMCS01A46

@rajnathsingh
@DefenceMinIndia
@SethSanjayMP
@HQ_IDS_India
@adgpi
@indiannavy
@IAF_MCC
@PIB_India

[Megh Updates 🚨™ @MeghUpdates]

🚨 Lucknow — Civil Defence, Police, and local administration conducted a full-scale mock drill today — as part of the nationwide exercise ordered by the MHA for May 7.

[Digital India @_DigitalIndia]

UIDAI successfully conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) on the use of face authentication during the NEET UG 2025 in New Delhi, carried out in collaboration with @NICMeity and @NTA_Exams. Done in real-time, using #Aadhaar’s biometric database.

#DigitalIndia #NEETUG2025 @UIDAI

[Megh Updates 🚨™ @MeghUpdates]

🚨 BIG BREAKING

MHA orders nationwide Civil Defence MOCK DRILLS on May 7.

— Air raid sirens to be TESTED.
— Blackout & camouflage protocols to be ACTIVATED.
— Civilians and students to be trained for hostile ATTACK survival.
— Drills to be CONDUCTED across all states.

[guyfromvalley🏕🏔⛷ @vineetkaul]

Our house help Sangeeta Didi has taken a chutti for 10 days. I was delighted. You wanna know why ?

She is getting a proper house from Government of India under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). It is just incredible! 😊😊😊

Now let me come to the cruel part. We also had a home and a proper house. In April 1990, we had to run to save our lives, run at around 4:30-5:00 am in a matador to Lal Chowk and then a KMD Bus to Jammu. My fathers name was on the hit list pasted on a butters shop and then a local mosque.

Our house, our home that we left behind was used as a torture and execution centre by terrorists in Kashmir, within like a year or so.

Since Kashmiris are today blaming Pakistan, I just want to remind myself , them and everyone, that Pakistan did/does what it did/does because Kashmiris allowed and facilitated it. That truth and reality cannot be washed down the Vyeth (Jhelum).

Later on it was occupied by RR and BSF for brief periods and eventually @JmuKmrPolice gave that to @crpfindia to set up a local presence.

Our three houses (two belonging to my uncle who have already passed away) have been occupied since with little of no rent paid. Umpteen requests to every authority to vacate and give back our houses, having been ignored repeatedly, why, because we don't count.

Basically we have been from a HOME to a TENT and then RENT for last 35 years. Sigh!

While I am excited for Sangeeta Didi and made sure she goes and paid her extra to make the trip, I know the REASON why we don't have a pucka house of our own.

First pic - Is when the house was getting made (that is me and my beautiful late mother who passed away in a rented house)
Second pic - When it was used by terrorists
Third pic - When it is destroyed and made into a barrack

#Kashmir #PahalgamTerroristAttack