NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NUTRITION (Syllabus GS Paper 2 – Health)

Context: The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) recently updated its "Dietary Guidelines for Indians," providing revised recommendations for optimal nutrition.

National Institute of Nutrition

• About: It is an Indian public health, nutrition and translational research centre.
• Establishment: 1918
• Nodal Agency: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
• Headquarter: Hyderabad
• Functions:

o To evolve effective methods of management and prevention of nutritional problems.

o To conduct operational research connected with planning and implementation of national nutrition programmes. 

o To dovetail nutrition research with other health programmes of the government.

NIN Guidelines

• An estimated 56.4% of India’s total disease burden is linked to unhealthy diets, as per guidelines.
• According to the National Nutrition Survey 2019, around 5% of children aged 5-9 and 6% of adolescents were overweight or obese.
• Almost 2% of children and adolescents were diagnosed with diabetes, with another 10% having pre-diabetes.
• 37.3% of children aged 5-9 had high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL and triglycerides).
• 19.9% of pre-teens and teens aged 10-19 also exhibited elevated bad cholesterol levels.
• NIN recommends earthen pots as the safest cookware option, which is eco-friendly and requires less oil for food preparation.
• Earthen pots are noted for their ability to preserve the nutrition of food.
• NIN has issued guidelines for the use of metal, steel, non-stick pans, and granite stones.