Healthy after 20 use these years to become strong

What each guide stands on

Most health advice on WhatsApp has no source. Each claim here links to one, with the kind of evidence it is, so you can check it or show your doctor.

1. Risk in Indian adults
   Among Indian adults aged 20 and over, 35.5% have high blood pressure, 11.4% have diabetes and 15.3% have prediabetes, and 39.5% carry excess fat around the waist. Most of it causes no symptoms.
   Anjana et al., ICMR-INDIAB-17, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 2023 National survey · 113,043 adults, 31 states and UTs
2. How much to move
   150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle strengthening of all major muscle groups on 2 or more days. Replace sitting with any movement: some activity is better than none.
   WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, 2020 Guideline
3. Peak bone mass
   Bone mass peaks between the late teens and the late 20s, and a higher peak means stronger bones later in life. The strongest evidence for building it is for physical activity and calcium intake, then vitamin D.
   Weaver et al., NOF position statement on peak bone mass, Osteoporosis International 2016 Systematic review No Indian guideline covers this.
4. The Indian plate
   Fill about half the plate with vegetables and fruit, add whole grains or millets, pulses, eggs, fish or meat, and milk or curd. Limit foods high in fat, sugar and salt, keep added salt to 5 g a day at most, and get protein from food rather than protein supplements.
   ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 National guideline
5. Sleep
   7 to 9 hours a night for adults aged 18 to 64.
   Hirshkowitz et al., National Sleep Foundation recommendations, Sleep Health 2015 Expert panel No Indian guideline covers this.
6. Screens before bed
   Reading on a light-emitting tablet before bed, rather than a printed book, made people take longer to fall asleep, delayed their body clock and the evening rise in melatonin, and left them less alert the next morning.
   Chang et al., Evening use of light-emitting eReaders, PNAS 2015 Randomised crossover trial · 12 adults No Indian study covers this.
7. Caffeine and sleep
   A large dose of caffeine (400 mg, about four cups of coffee) taken 6 hours before bed still cut sleep by more than an hour.
   Drake et al., Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before bed, J Clin Sleep Med 2013 Randomised trial · 12 adults No Indian study covers this.
8. Help for your mind
   Tele MANAS, India’s national tele mental health helpline, is free and open 24x7 in about 20 languages. Call 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 to reach a trained counsellor, with mental health specialists when needed.
   MoHFW, Tele MANAS National programme
9. Staying connected
   Across 148 studies, people with stronger social ties had about 1.5 times the odds of survival, an effect comparable to well-known risks such as smoking.
   Holt-Lunstad et al., Social relationships and mortality risk, PLoS Medicine 2010 Meta-analysis · 308,849 people, 148 studies
10. Sexually transmitted infections
    More than 1 million curable sexually transmitted infections are acquired every day worldwide, most without symptoms. In India, government Suraksha clinics at district hospitals and medical colleges offer STI counselling, treatment and free condoms, and the national AIDS helpline is 1097.
    NACO, STI/RTI services National programme · WHO, Sexually transmitted infections fact sheet Fact sheet
11. HPV vaccine
    Almost all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. WHO recommends the vaccine mainly for girls aged 9 to 14; one dose is also enough up to age 20, women over 21 should get two, and boys can be vaccinated where feasible.
    WHO, Updated recommendations on HPV vaccination, 2022 WHO recommendation · WHO, Cervical cancer fact sheet Fact sheet
12. Tobacco in India
    28.6% of Indian adults use tobacco, 42.4% of men and 14.2% of women, most often as smokeless tobacco, the main cause of mouth cancer.
    MoHFW, Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (2016–17) National survey · 74,037 adults
13. E-cigarettes
    Since 2019, making, importing, selling or advertising e-cigarettes, including heat-not-burn products, is banned in India.
    Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019 Indian law
14. Alcohol
    WHO states that no amount of alcohol is safe for health. The risk starts with the first drink, and cancer risk rises the more you drink.
    WHO Europe, No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health, 2023 WHO statement
15. Road safety
    In 2022, 1,68,491 people died in road crashes in India. Two-wheeler riders were 44.5% of those killed, and two-thirds of all victims were aged 18 to 45.
    MoRTH, Road Accidents in India 2022 National report
16. Hearing
    More than 1 billion people aged 12 to 35 are at risk of hearing loss from loud music through earphones and at loud venues. Lower volume and shorter listening protect hearing.
    WHO, Making listening safe WHO programme No Indian guideline covers this.
17. Blood pressure
    Below 120/80 is normal. High blood pressure is diagnosed at 140/90 or above, measured on two different days. US guidance screens adults aged 18 to 39 every 3 to 5 years if blood pressure is normal and there are no risk factors, and every year otherwise.
    WHO, Hypertension fact sheet Fact sheet · Whelton et al., ACC/AHA blood pressure guideline, Hypertension 2018 US guideline · USPSTF, Hypertension screening in adults, 2021 US guideline
18. Waist size for Indians
    For Asian Indians, abdominal obesity starts at a waist of 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women, lower than the Western cut-offs of 102 and 88 cm, because risk rises at a smaller size.
    Misra et al., Consensus statement for Asian Indians, JAPI 2009 Indian expert consensus
19. Waist-to-height ratio
    Keep your waist to less than half your height. A waist-to-height ratio of 0.5 to 0.59 means increased health risk and 0.6 or more high risk, for adults of all ethnicities with a BMI under 35.
    NICE, Overweight and obesity management (NG246) UK guideline
20. Cholesterol
    India’s lipid guideline sets an LDL cholesterol target below 100 mg/dL for people at low or moderate risk, and lower targets at higher risk, because Indians develop heart disease earlier. US guidance measures cholesterol in adults from age 20.
    Iyengar et al., Lipid Association of India expert consensus, 2016 Indian expert consensus · Grundy et al., AHA/ACC cholesterol guideline, Circulation 2019 US guideline
21. Blood sugar
    Fasting glucose below 100 mg/dL and HbA1c below 5.7% are normal. 100 to 125 mg/dL or 5.7 to 6.4% is prediabetes, and 126 mg/dL or 6.5% and above is diabetes.
    American Diabetes Association, Standards of Care 2024: Diagnosis and classification US guideline
22. Adult vaccines
    India’s adult immunisation guidance from the Association of Physicians of India covers influenza every year, a tetanus and diphtheria booster every 10 years, and others by age and risk.
    Review of the API adult immunisation guidelines, IJCMPH 2024 Review of Indian guideline
23. Get checked
    India’s national NCD programme screens every adult over 30 for high blood pressure, diabetes and common cancers of the mouth, breast and cervix, at government health centres. Use it, and keep the numbers.
    MoHFW, NP-NCD Operational Guidelines National programme
24. Supplements
    Beta-carotene and vitamin E should not be taken to prevent heart disease or cancer, and for multivitamins the evidence is too thin either way. Supplements are for a known gap, such as low B12 or vitamin D on a test.
    USPSTF, Vitamin, mineral and multivitamin supplementation, 2022 US guideline No Indian guideline covers this.
25. Creatine
    Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement and appears safe at usual doses in healthy adults, typically 3 to 5 g a day. It helps most alongside strength training.
    Kreider et al., ISSN position stand on creatine, JISSN 2017 Expert position stand No Indian guideline covers this.

Guidance changes as evidence grows. When it does, the guides and this list will be updated. Last updated 17 October 2026.