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    The Indian Eye
             HEALTH & WELLNESS                                                         AUGUST 21, 2026                                      46

                     Magnesium-rich Foods Help                                                                     Enters a New Era with
                                                                                                                       Women’s Health

              Heart, Muscles and Nerve Health                                                                        Personalised Care

                                                                                                                          omen’s healthcare is enter-
                  dding magnesium-rich foods                                                                              ing  a  new  phase  as  artifi-
                  to the daily diet may help                                                                      Wcial intelligence, wearable
            Asupport several essential func-                                                                      devices, biomarker monitoring and
            tions of the body, including muscle                                                                   genetic testing increasingly enable
            movement, nerve signalling, heart                                                                     personalised approaches to preven-
            rhythm, blood pressure regulation                                                                     tion, diagnosis and treatment. Experts
            and bone health. Nutrition experts                                                                    say femtech in 2026 is moving beyond
            recommend meeting magnesium re-                                                                       basic symptom and menstrual-cycle
            quirements primarily through a var-                                                                   tracking towards technology that can
            ied, whole-food diet rather than rely-                                                                interpret individual health data and
            ing on supplements.                                                                                   support earlier intervention.
                Magnesium is involved in more                                                                         The shift is being driven by grow-
            than 300 enzymatic reactions in the                                                                   ing recognition that women’s health
            body. Inadequate intake has been                                                                      cannot be effectively addressed
            associated with symptoms such as fa-                                                                  through generic medical models. New
            tigue, muscle cramps and headaches,                                                                   digital platforms are increasingly being
            while the mineral also plays a role in                                                                designed around differences in biolo-
            blood sugar regulation, muscle relax-                                                                 gy, hormonal changes and life stages,
            ation and overall nerve function.                                                                     including fertility, pregnancy, meno-
                Several   commonly     avail-                                                                     pause and autoimmune conditions.
            able  foods  can  provide  significant                                                                    Wearables and health-monitoring
            amounts of magnesium. Pumpkin                                                                         devices are expected to play a larger role
            seeds are among the richest sources,                                                                  in this transition. Data from devices such
            providing about 168 mg per ounce.     Nuts such as almonds and ca-  help limit added sugar while provid-  as smart rings and continuous glucose
            Cooked spinach is another nutri-  shews are convenient options for in-  ing the mineral.              monitors can capture changes linked
            ent-dense option, with nearly 158 mg   creasing magnesium intake between   Health experts say incorporating   to cycles, hormones and other health
            of magnesium in a cup.            meals.  An  ounce  of  almonds  pro-  seeds, nuts, leafy vegetables, beans   indicators. Experts believe integration
                Beans and whole grains can also   vides about 80 mg, while the same   and whole grains into regular meals   of such information with healthcare
            contribute substantially to daily mag-  quantity of cashews contains around   can make it easier to obtain magne-  systems could help doctors identify pat-
            nesium intake. Quinoa and black   74 mg. Avocado contributes approx-  sium naturally. However, individual   terns and provide more targeted care.
            beans provide around 120 mg per   imately 58 mg per fruit and also pro-  nutritional requirements vary de-  Artificial  intelligence  is  also
            cup, while edamame offers approxi-  vides healthy fats.             pending on age, health conditions   emerging as a practical tool rather
            mately 100 mg per cup. These foods    Dark chocolate can be another   and  lifestyle. People considering   than  simply  a  diagnostic  technology.
            also provide fibre and other nutrients   source, with around 65 mg of magne-  magnesium supplements or major   AI-enabled platforms can analyse
            and can be incorporated into salads,   sium per ounce. Choosing varieties   dietary changes should consult a doc-  symptoms and long-term health data,
            bowls and regular meals.          containing at least 70% cocoa can   tor or qualified dietitian.     identify patterns and convert informa-
                                                                                                                  tion from wearables and health check-
                                                                                                                  ins into insights that can be useful to
            Poor Sleep, Stress and Sugar Bad for Skin Ageing                                                      patients and clinicians.
                                                                                                                      Another emerging area is the
                                                                                                                  use of menstrual blood as a potential
                  remature skin ageing is in-                                   skin’s ability to recover and may con-  source of measurable health informa-
                  creasingly being seen among                                   tribute to dullness, dark circles and   tion. Researchers and femtech com-
            Pyounger adults, with derma-                                        other visible signs of ageing.    panies are exploring ways to assess
            tologists reporting concerns such as                                    Diet is another important factor.   bleeding patterns and biomarkers that
            pigmentation, dullness, loss of skin                                Excessive consumption of sugar and   could provide insights into conditions
                                                                                                                  including  anaemia,  fibroids,  adeno-
            firmness  and  fine  lines  among  peo-                             processed foods can contribute to in-  myosis and endometriosis. Maternal
            ple in their late 20s. While ageing is a                            flammation and glycation, a process   mental health is also receiving great-
            natural process, experts say everyday                               that can damage collagen and elas-  er attention, with digital platforms
            lifestyle choices, including poor sleep,                            tin, the proteins responsible for skin   beginning to incorporate emotional
            chronic stress, unhealthy eating, pol-                              firmness  and  elasticity.  Over  time,   check-ins, screening tools and access
            lution and excessive screen time, may                               this may contribute to wrinkles and   to healthcare professionals. This re-
            accelerate visible signs of ageing.                                 sagging.                          flects a broader move towards treating
                A recent report on lifestyle-re-                                    Chronic stress can also affect skin   mental wellbeing as an integral part of
            lated ageing highlights that modern                                 health. Prolonged stress is associated   women’s healthcare.
            routines marked by long  working      Sleep deprivation is among the   with hormonal changes and inflamma-  The personalisation trend is ex-
            hours, disrupted sleep, sedentary   major concerns. During sleep, the   tion, potentially contributing to break-  tending to genomics, with DNA and
            behaviour  and processed food can   body undertakes tissue  repair and   outs, dullness and premature lines.   genome testing becoming more acces-
            affect not only skin health but also   supports hormonal balance. Regu-  Similarly, prolonged sitting and lack of   sible and increasingly being explored
            metabolism, immunity, cardiovascu-  larly getting less than seven to eight   physical activity can affect circulation,   for nutrition, medication decisions and
            lar health and brain function.    hours of quality sleep can affect the   muscle strength and overall health.  disease-prevention strategies.

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