Experts push for integrative approach to obesity, metabolic disorders at Ayurveda meet

As metabolic diseases surge worldwide, experts called for stronger evidence-based integration of Ayurveda with modern medicine at a two-day international conference on Ayurveda and Integrative Approaches to Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.

The conference that concluded here on Tuesday also marked the 57th Foundation Day of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).

Organised by CCRAS–Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Bengaluru, in collaboration with IISc and NIMHANS, the conference brought together leading specialists in Ayurveda, endocrinology, metabolic science, biotechnology and molecular biology to deliberate on holistic strategies to combat obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The discussions focused on evidence-based integrative strategies to address emerging metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.

Rabinarayan Acharya, Director-General, CCRAS, highlighted the growing need for collaborative science in Ayurveda. “CCRAS is collaborating with prestigious institutes like IIT Delhi, IIT Chennai, IIT Jodhpur, ICAR, IISc, and NIMHANS using modern tools for a better understanding of Ayurveda,” he said.

Stressing the role of interdisciplinary collaborations, Navakanta Bhat, Dean, Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences, IISc, said: “There is a need for integrative medicine for the betterment of health in the years to come.”

The two-day scientific programme featured plenary and parallel sessions, a symposium on Translational Science and Integrative Medicine Approaches, and a workshop on nanotechnology and molecular biology at IISc’s TCS Smart-X Hub.

Experts from Malaysia, Sri Lanka and institutions such as IISc, NIMHANS, St John’s, CMC Vellore and Manipal Hospitals participated in the deliberations, calling for validated Ayurveda-based interventions and strengthened collaborative research models to mitigate the escalating public health burden of metabolic disorders.