One patient loses 20 kg, and rediscovers the joy of dressing up and attending family functions. Another sheds only a few kilos but sees better blood sugar control. Why can GLP-1 medicines produce such different experiences?

In this episode, host Srirupa Ray, a deputy news editor with TOI, speaks to Dr Ambrish Mithal, group chairman, endocrinology and diabetes, Max Healthcare, Delhi about the promise, limitations and misconceptions surrounding GLP-1-based treatments.

Dr Mithal explains why their significance extends beyond the weighing scale, discussing their role in diabetes management and the evidence for benefits involving the heart, kidneys and liver. He also explores how these medicines influence appetite, fullness and cravings, helping some patients quieten the constant ‘food noise’ that shapes their relationship with eating.

But who actually needs them? And who should avoid them or undergo closer assessment? The conversation addresses medical supervision, gastrointestinal side effects, realistic weight-loss expectations and why taking injections briefly before a wedding or another event is ill-advised.

Drawing on patient accounts, Dr Mithal discusses why weight-loss responses vary, why people with diabetes may lose less weight, and why improved metabolic health can matter even when the scales barely move. He explains the importance of personalised nutrition, adequate protein and strength training, alongside questions about long-term treatment, maintenance doses and weight regain after stopping.

For anyone considering these medicines — or hesitating despite a doctor’s recommendation — this episode offers a perspective grounded in science rather than social-media hype.

Chapters:

02:21 - Why GLP-1 drugs are changing chronic disease treatment

04:48 - Who really needs these drugs — and who is chasing a cosmetic fix?

08:57 - The problem with taking them before an event, then stopping

10:30 - Behind the book, ‘The Weight Loss Revolution’

13:32 - Beyond weight loss: Benefits for the body and emerging brain research

18:02 - A patient’s story: Losing 20kg and rediscovering confidence

19:43 - Who should avoid these drugs or seek closer assessment?

22:03 - How GLP-1s work: Gut effects, cravings and ‘food noise’

26:02 - Lifelong treatment, maintenance doses and stopping medication

28:42 - Setting realistic weight-loss expectations

30:00 - Fewer kilos lost, better sugar control: Another patient’s experience

32:36 - Why some people lose more weight than others

35:15 - Why nutrition, protein and strength training still matter

37:56 - Quality of life, tolerating side effects and advice before starting on GLP-1

Chickenpox may be a childhood memory, but the virus never leaves. It lies dormant in nerve cells and can return decades later as shingles, a blistering rash with nerve pain that can linger long after the rash fades. In this episode, host Pushpa Narayan, a senior editor with TOI, speaks to Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, president of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society of India.

Dr Swaminathan explains why the varicella zoster virus reactivates, and why one in three people will get shingles in their lifetime — age, diabetes, cancer treatment, steroid use, organ disease and HIV all raise the risk. Early shingles pain can be mistaken for a heart problem, dental trouble, or appendicitis, and starting antivirals early can ease the rash and reduce pain severity afterwards. He also covers rare but serious complications, including spread to the lungs and brain, and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke in the months after infection.

The conversation also addresses whether shingles is contagious, how it differs from other herpes viruses, and why a blood test before vaccination adds no value. The episode ends with a clear case for the two-dose shingles vaccine from age 50.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction: the chickenpox virus that returns as shingles

00:48 – Why chickenpox comes back: the “Mexican standoff” with the immune system

01:58 – Who gets shingles: one in three, and the role of age and illness

03:03 – What happens in the body: a dormant virus travels along a nerve

04:21 – Spotting shingles: misdiagnosis, one-sided rash, 48–72 hours to appear

06:08 – Cost of delay and the treatment: antivirals and painkillers

07:35 – A nerve "on fire": neuropathic pain and serious complications

09:23 – ICU risk, severe disease and the heart attack and stroke link

11:00 – Is shingles contagious? Caregivers and isolation rules

12:57 – The herpes virus family and why this virus is so "smart"

15:50 – Do other herpes viruses cause shingles?

17:00 – Prevention: the chickenpox vaccine and the shingles vaccine

18:20 – Is a blood test needed before the shingles vaccine?

19:47 – Two doses, and how long protection lasts

20:47 – Why 50 is the sweet spot, and why not earlier or later

22:42 – Cost versus benefit: efficacy against shingles and pain

As we live longer, the traditional medical playbook—waiting for a disease to strike before we act—is no longer enough. But what if we stopped measuring health simply by the absence of illness and started tracking our physical and mental functional wellness across a lifetime?

In this episode, Shimona Kanwar, Senior Assistant Editor with TOI speaks to Dr John Beard, former director of Ageing and Life Course at the World Health Organisation (WHO) to explore a revolutionary shift in healthcare: Intrinsic Capacity. Dr Beard breaks down why the conventional disease-centric model is outdated, how five pivotal subdomains — cognitive, locomotive, sensory, psychological, and vitality — define our true biological trajectory, and how emerging technologies and wearable data could soon let us monitor our health pathways years before symptoms ever appear.

Tune in to discover why aging is not a disease, why it is never too late to change your trajectory, and how this new paradigm is set to flip modern medicine on its head.

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

Chapters

00:01 - The Need for a New Aging Paradigm

01:42 - What is Intrinsic Capacity?

02:27 - The Five Subdomains of Intrinsic Capacity

03:58 – The Crosstalk Between These Subdomains

04:47 - Measuring and Scoring Health Trajectories

08:46 - Digital Health, Wearables, and Future Tracking

11:25 - Personalised Medicine & The Indian Context

13:31 - Shifting Geriatric Care: Proactive Trajectory vs Reactive Disease

18:58 - Busting the Biggest Aging Myth, That It’s Too Late For Change

20:23 - The Future of Drug Approvals and Health Promotion