New Delhi, March 28 (NationPress) Rajiv Gauba, a member of NITI Aayog, emphasized that India's abundance of fermented foods should be leveraged to counteract the dangerous trend towards ultra-processed diets that jeopardize gut health and overall public health. This statement was made during a symposium focused on probiotics.

During the event organized by the Gut Microbiota and Probiotic Science Foundation, Gauba noted that food choices influenced by social media, along with evolving lifestyles and the surge of quick commerce, are pushing society away from traditional, nutrient-rich diets, as highlighted in a recent statement from NITI Aayog.

He warned that these shifts could lead to severe long-term implications for gut health, pointing out that approximately 56.4% of India's disease burden is linked to unhealthy or unbalanced diets.

Given India's rich tradition of fermented foods and its dietary practices, Gauba believes the nation is poised to spearhead the global probiotic movement by integrating traditional wisdom with advancements in genomic and microbiome research to create clinically validated probiotics.

He emphasized the significant public health benefits that probiotics can offer in mitigating both infectious and chronic diseases, enhancing nutrition, and boosting community immunity.

Gauba remarked, "Micro-organisms can lead to significant outcomes," urging healthcare professionals and researchers to challenge misleading claims within the probiotics and supplements market.

He referenced government initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, PM-JAY, PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, noting a decline in out-of-pocket health expenditures from 62.6% to 39.4% between FY15 and FY22, resulting in over Rs 1.25 lakh crore in savings for households.

Gauba asserted that realizing India's demographic dividend necessitates a healthy workforce, especially as the proportion of elderly individuals increases.

He called on healthcare providers to prescribe more affordable generic medications and to utilize digital health innovations, telemedicine, data analytics, and AI to enhance access to specialist care in underserved areas.

Gauba also noted the evolution of microbiome science from basic studies to mechanistic and translational research, highlighting emerging areas such as next-generation microbiome-based therapies, synthetic biology, and CRISPR-enabled engineering of probiotic strains designed for targeted anti-inflammatory and metabolic functions in precision medicine.