Health2 min
Faridabad Ayurveda Trial Screens 5,594 Seniors; Quality-of-Life Scores Rise
A government-run Ayurveda institute says elderly residents in Faridabad reported better wellbeing after a 60-day programme, but the Ayush ministry itself says stronger evidence is still needed.
Thousands of older residents in Faridabad, Haryana, took part in a community Ayurveda programme that the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) says improved their quality of life, digestive and metabolic strength, and bone health. The Ayush ministry shared the findings in a statement on Tuesday.
The project ran under AIIA's Public Health Initiative. Over three months, the institute screened 5,594 people aged 60 to 80 in Faridabad district and gave them Ayurvedic medicines. A separate group of 200 patients was screened for dementia and received Ayurveda-based medicines for four months.
The headline number comes from the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) assessment. After a 60-day intervention, the total score rose from 292.0 to 326.3. The institute also recorded gains on all six parameters used to measure Agnibala, an Ayurvedic idea tied to digestive and metabolic strength.
The ministry also reported positive shifts in cognitive health assessments, and in selected biomarkers: serotonin, acetylcholine, DHEA and vitamin D. Bone mineral density improved too.
The first screening also gave a snapshot of how older people in the district are doing. Vision problems affected 67.73 per cent of participants, physical inactivity 43.05 per cent, and reduced cognitive function 6.85 per cent. Other common issues included high blood pressure, raised random blood glucose, low bone density, constipation and sleep trouble.
Why it matters: India's older population is growing, and community-level screening can catch everyday problems early. But the results come from the institute's own project, and the ministry stressed the caveat itself. It said wider scientific evaluation, continued safety monitoring and further studies are needed to confirm how well, and how safely, these interventions work.
The findings were presented at a workshop at AIIA, and the project report has been submitted to an expert committee. AIIA is an autonomous body under the Ayush ministry, focused on education, research, clinical services and public health work. Read the original report.
