Students of the Department of Media Studies attend webinar on Food, Fasting and Gut Health: What does the Science Say?
Date: 02 September 2026
Students from the Department of Media Studies, Kristu Jayanti University, attended a live webinar on Food, Fasting and Gut Health: What Does the Science Say? Organised by DataLEADS’ First Check LIVE. The session I of webinar, Ms Urvashi Kaul hosted Mr Tushar Vashisht, Co-founder and CEO of Healthify, where he told that the single most important thing anyone can do is pick something they can actually stick with,’ while talking about the restaurant food safety, he said, adding that home-cooked meals should make up “close to 80 or 90%” of what people eat, with eating out kept as “an occasional treat rather than a habit.” In session II, Prof Anupam Sibal, senior consultant, Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist from Apollo Hospital, said that social media has turned food and gut health into a stream of competing claims - some rooted in science, others driven more by trends than evidence. From intermittent fasting and probiotics to “gut detoxes” and so-called superfoods, nutrition advice is everywhere. The gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that interact with the food we eat and play important roles in digestion, metabolism, immune function and overall health. In the webinar, speakers shared the science behind food, fasting and gut health. They explained how people can distinguish evidence-based nutrition advice from the growing noise around the gut microbiome.

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Department of Media Studies joins DataLEADS’ First Check LIVE as Community Partner
Date: 17 August 2026
The Department of Media Studies, Kristu Jayanti University joins DataLEADS’ First Check LIVe as a Community Partner. FirstCheck LIVE is a year-long, 12-part virtual public dialogue series on Fact-Checking, Health Communication, and Mental Well-being, launched by DataLEADS, an award-winning digital media and technology company committed to helping people understand and engage with the world around them through its global networking and linkages.

On the first day of the live interaction, panellists discuss nutrition, mental health, digital literacy and sport to help adolescents build healthier futures. They said that India, home to the world's largest adolescent population (253 million), faces significant gaps in youth health awareness, particularly around nutrition, mental health, and lifestyle habits, compared to global peers. Paediatric endocrinologist Dr. Ganesh Jevalikar emphasized that adolescence is a critical developmental window, noting that most mental health disorders originate before age 25, and stressed the importance of mindful eating, exercise, and sleep. Digital inclusion advocate Osama Manzar highlighted how teens increasingly turn to AI for health answers due to inadequate guidance at home and school. Parenting expert Sushant Kalra argued for open dialogue over control, while educator Divya Bhatia called for embedding wellness into everyday school life rather than isolated programs. Tennis coach Ankita Bhambri stressed collaborative effort between parents, schools, and sport.