A new report argues that current public health guidance on high blood pressure focuses too narrowly on cutting sodium, and that combining sodium reduction with increased potassium intake could offer a more effective approach to preventing and managing the condition worldwide.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects more than 1.28 billion adults globally and remains a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Current public health recommendations have generally emphasized reducing dietary sodium as the primary intervention for lowering blood pressure and protecting heart health, according to the report, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and supported by the IAFNS Sodium in Food and Health Implications Committee.

The physicians and health experts behind the report argue that sodium reduction efforts may prove more effective when paired with a deliberate increase in potassium consumption. Potassium can also serve as a partial substitute for sodium within salt itself, offering food manufacturers an additional tool for reformulating products to reduce overall sodium content. According to the researchers, growing scientific evidence about potassium’s specific role in regulating blood pressure supports a fundamental shift in how public health guidance approaches the issue, moving away from treating sodium and potassium as separate, independent dietary factors and instead addressing how the two nutrients interact within the body.

Naomi Fukagawa, professor of medicine emerita at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the report’s first author, said the findings call for a broader, more integrated approach to dietary guidance. “It is time to view dietary interventions holistically because food components interact and physiology is integrative across systems,” Fukagawa said. “Growing evidence shows that increasing dietary potassium as well as reducing sodium intake work together to better manage hypertension.”

The peer-reviewed report reviews the existing evidence supporting current sodium and potassium intake recommendations, examines potential methods for simultaneously reducing sodium and increasing potassium in the diet, identifies practical obstacles to implementing those strategies at a population level, and outlines research and policy priorities the authors say could help improve public health outcomes related to blood pressure going forward.

According to the report’s authors, both excessive sodium consumption and insufficient potassium intake represent major, modifiable dietary factors contributing to elevated blood pressure. Average sodium consumption continues to exceed recommended levels across most populations, while potassium intake is frequently “far below optimal levels in both developed and developing nations,” the authors wrote.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes and dairy products rank among the primary dietary sources of potassium, according to the report. Food manufacturers seeking to reduce sodium content in processed foods can incorporate potassium-based salt substitutes as part of product reformulation efforts, though the report notes practical limitations to that approach. When potassium salt is added in excessive amounts, foods can develop an unwanted metallic taste, requiring manufacturers to carefully balance sodium reduction against potassium enhancement when reformulating existing products.

The report’s authors were careful to frame their conclusions as building upon, rather than replacing, existing sodium-focused public health strategies. “Dietary sodium reduction is a foundational strategy for hypertension prevention and management,” the authors concluded. “However, new evidence supports a broadening of the current approach that focuses solely on sodium reduction and provides equal emphasis on increasing potassium intake.”

The report adds to a growing body of recent research examining the relationship between dietary potassium and cardiovascular health. Earlier scientific modeling published this year found that increasing potassium intake could have a comparably significant, or even greater, effect on blood pressure than reducing sodium intake alone, based on simulations of how the kidneys, hormones and cardiovascular system respond to varying levels of sodium and potassium consumption.

The University of Vermont report was authored by a team that included Fukagawa alongside co-authors Paul Welling, Janice Johnson, Kristin Reimers, Soo-Yeun Lee and Patricia Zecca, and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’s 2026 volume.

Public health experts have generally cautioned that individuals with certain underlying health conditions, including kidney disease, should not significantly increase their potassium intake without first consulting a healthcare provider, since impaired kidney function can prevent the body from properly regulating potassium levels, potentially leading to dangerously elevated blood potassium levels known as hyperkalemia. People taking certain blood pressure medications, including some diuretics and ACE inhibitors, may also need individualized guidance regarding potassium intake given how those medications can interact with the body’s potassium regulation.

Given that hypertension is a serious, widespread medical condition linked to significant cardiovascular risk, the report’s authors emphasized that its findings are intended to inform broader public health policy and food reformulation strategies rather than to serve as a substitute for individualized medical advice. Anyone with diagnosed high blood pressure, kidney disease or other relevant underlying health conditions is encouraged to consult a doctor or registered dietitian before making significant changes to their sodium or potassium intake, rather than relying solely on general public health research to guide personal dietary decisions.

NEW DELHI: Dalal Street is expected to see range-bound trading this week in the absence of any major trigger either on the domestic or global front, say analysts.

“Though the market has been moving up it seems to be running out of steam as the indices are still moving within a strong range,” according to broking house ICICI Direct.

“In terms of valuation and from the angle of risk-return trade-off also, the domestic market is looking slightly vulnerable and is likely to see some downward correction in the short-term,” it adds.

Despite the overall rise, the domestic market has been under-performing against most of its global peers including China, which has seen a 19% rise in the same time period.

“Investors are cautious and the market is likely to see a side-way trading this week,” said Bonanza Portfolio assistant vice-president for research Avinash Gupta.

Analysts further say, following the negative global cues, the market may open with negative bias on Monday, however, it may bounce back later on fund inflow.
“Tracking the weak US and European markets, Dalal Street may open with a negative bias on Monday. However, FIIs are still bullish about the India growth story and a sustained inflow will help the market to bounce-back,” said Geojit BNP Paribas research head Alex Mathews.Foreign Institutional Investors are positive on the domestic market and last week itself infused a net of `5,590 crore in local stocks, taking their total investment so far in 2010 to `51,185 crore as per the data with Sebi.

“Global parameters will be important to decide the direction of the domestic markets,” added Mr Mathews .

On the domestic front, the faster progress of the monsoon remains the key factor for the market. The IIP figures for June, which are due this week, will also be important and needs to be watched.

Domestic markets recovered during the past week and both indices made their fresh 2010 highs, as FIIs continued their buying spree. On a week-on-week basis, the Sensex went up by about 276 points, or 1.5%, to close at 18,143.99.

On Friday, Wall Street too settled in the red on sluggish jobs market data and unimpressive July retail sales figures. The Dow Jones lost 0.20% and S&P 500 ended 0.37% lower.

Mumbai: Valuations have been the big buzzword on Dalal Street for a while now but its suddenly gaining momentum. These days every conversation begins with the P/E ratio (price to earning ratio, which compares the current price of the share with its per share earnings) and ends with a loud proclamation that the valuations look ‘a bit stretched.’

However, many experts believe that looking at a ratio in isolation won’t help investors grasp the realities of the market and a higher valuation may not be the only deciding factor driving the market.

‘‘Valuations matter in the long run, but it need not have an impact in the short run. This is because there is never a right valuation for a stock, as it is a highly individual call,’’ says Mukesh Dedhia, director, Ghalla & Bhansali Securities.

‘‘For example, a stock with a higher P/E may be moving ahead further as there is greater demand for the stock because of its higher earnings possibility. So, there is always a bit of confusion about the right valuation,’’ he adds.

‘‘If you look at the broader market, it is difficult to get a value pick. But if you are doing a bottom up method, you would still find many stocks in the market with the right valuation,’’ says Rajiv Thakkar, CEO, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services. Though he is a firm believer of value investing, he says looking at a ratio alone won’t be the right way to investing in a stock.

‘‘There are many things you have to consider. For example, you have to find out whether the growth rate is sustainable or how much capital is required to keep the growth. Sometimes, there would be volume growth, but the margins could be under pressure. There are a host of issues to consider, just looking at a ratio is not enough,’’ he adds.
Some experts also believe that the higher valuations could be justified if foreign investors continue to pump money into the stock market with the hope of better performance by Indian companies.

‘‘The current valuations doesn’t justify the long term growth potential of India. The market is trading 17 times the earnings potential in 2011 and around 13.8 times the earnings forecast for 2012. It even carry a premium of around 50% to other emerging markets and around 25% premium to other global markets,’’ says Devendra Nevgi, Founder & Principal Partner, Delta Global Partners. He believes that the premium can be justified if the foreign investors continue to bet on Indian stocks.

The Nifty started Wednesday’s trade on a rather timid note. As the underlying index was quietly drifting downwards, the futures started trading at a deeper discount of nearly 10 points.

It was the last hour of trade that saw better volumes and a sharp movement. The fall amid global uncertainties has brought the Nifty once again to the level of 5400. Even the participation seems to be a little scared, as Nifty futures ended the day’s trade with an addition of over a million shares in open interest indicating creation of hedges.

As far as stock futures are concerned, we are very near to the highest-ever open interest with 195 crore shares in open interest. With nearly 70% of the stocks still trading with a premium, the bias among participants seems to be upwards. This would create a bit of pressure on the market in case of any macro uncertainty.

As we are almost half way through to expiry, it makes sense to continue with long positions, but along with long puts simultaneously so that losses are capped, still keeping all the upside open.

On the options side, Nifty August series open interest put-call ratio is at 1:58, indicating a moderately bullish composition. Even the implied volatilities element of the options which indicate the assumption of the risk remains very low. This indicates we may not see a huge downside as far as the August expiry is concerned. With over 10 million shares in 5300 August Put, the Nifty may find support around the level of 5300.

We feel one can do a Nifty bear ratio spread to hedge trading longs, by buying 1 lot Nifty August 5400 PE & selling 2 lots of Nifty August 5300 PE.
This strategy accrues profit within the 5200 & 5400 range in case the Nifty ends up in this range on expiry. On the event the Nifty heads upwards to close above 5400, one can still have a cash inflow and no cost of hedging. The strategy does incur loss below 5200, which we feel shall hold good for the August expiry.

(Bhavin Desai is Manager (derivatives), Motilal Oswal Securities )

Losing one of the greatest players in basketball history is never easy, much less finding a way to replace him. But after LeBron James’s departure for the Philadelphia 76ers closed an eight-season chapter of Los Angeles Lakers history, the franchise has used the summer to build a roster specifically constructed around its new centerpiece, Luka Doncic, entering his third season with the team.

James’s exit removed both a locker room leader and a player who averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season. The scale of that departure has fueled some skepticism about the Lakers’ ability to compete among the NBA’s best teams this coming season, particularly given that several of the team’s new additions are either coming off injury-plagued campaigns or remain unproven in significant roles. Even so, an examination of the full roster suggests the Lakers have emerged from the offseason younger, deeper and better equipped to complement Doncic’s game than at any point since he first arrived in Los Angeles.

The most important move of the Lakers’ offseason was retaining guard Austin Reaves, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract, the largest deal in league history for a player who went undrafted. Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points across 51 games last season, making his return as a secondary scoring option alongside Doncic a clear organizational priority heading into the summer.

The Lakers’ most significant outside addition came through a sign-and-trade acquisition of center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz, followed by a four-year, $130 million contract extension for the 25-year-old, 7-foot-2 big man. The move gave Doncic the kind of high-level starting center he had reportedly been seeking. Kessler led the NBA in offensive rebounding rate and offensive rebounds per game, at 4.6 per contest, during the 2024-25 season, and has consistently ranked among the league’s shot-blocking leaders when he has stayed healthy, averaging 2.4 blocks per game in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

The price Los Angeles paid to acquire Kessler was substantial. The Lakers sent Utah unprotected first-round draft picks in both 2031 and 2033, along with first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030, a package reflecting how central Kessler is expected to be to the team’s long-term plans around Doncic.

Beyond Reaves and Kessler, the Lakers added scoring guards Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes to round out the backcourt. Sexton, who averaged 15.4 points last season, brings an energetic playing style that has historically resonated with fans, while Grimes, who averaged 13.4 points last season in Philadelphia, offers two-way versatility and prior experience playing alongside Doncic. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili represents a potentially underrated addition who could see significant minutes either in the starting lineup or as a small-ball five off the bench under head coach JJ Redick. Guard Jaden Hardy, acquired via a trade that sent center Deandre Ayton to Utah as part of the Kessler deal, adds another young scoring option with prior experience playing alongside Doncic.

The Lakers rounded out their roster with a series of lower-cost contracts aimed at established veterans who could provide depth and specific skill sets. Kevon Looney brings championship experience and rebounding depth behind Kessler at center. Matisse Thybulle, an All-Defensive selection who has developed into an effective three-point shooter, having connected on 41% of his attempts from beyond the arc over his past two seasons in Portland, gives the Lakers a disruptive perimeter defender. Forward Ziaire Williams, who averaged 10.2 points last season in Brooklyn, adds size and athleticism on the wing.

Not every addition is guaranteed to pan out, and the Lakers still face several roster questions heading into training camp. The team currently carries 16 players on its roster and must trim that number to 15 before opening night. Depth at backup center behind Kessler could also become a concern if he struggles to stay healthy over the course of the season, given his injury history.

Even accounting for those uncertainties, the Lakers have done considerably more this offseason than simply replace a recognizable name with new personnel. The roster now features a collection of players capable of defending, running the floor, shooting and finishing scoring opportunities that Doncic creates for his teammates, a structural fit that had not fully existed around him during his previous two seasons with the team.

The Lakers’ investment in younger talent has also drawn attention during the offseason. First-round draft pick Cameron Carr had a promising Summer League showing, averaging 18.0 points per game, while two-way player Arthur Kaluma emerged as the team’s leading scorer during Summer League play, helping him secure a roster spot heading into the regular season.

The Lakers’ complete offseason roster turnover has brought in eight new players to the team so far. While legitimate risks remain given the number of unproven or recently injured additions, the organization has articulated a clear plan for the first time since Doncic’s arrival: building a roster specifically designed to grow around him rather than around a departing veteran star. That shift alone is likely to make the coming season one of the more closely watched stretches of Lakers basketball in recent years, as the franchise tests whether its retooled roster can translate into meaningful on-court success behind Doncic’s leadership.

Indian funds have grabbed seven out of the top 10 spots in the league table of leading small-cap funds across Asia, thanks to some canny stock-picking amid growing investor appetite for cheap stocks with potential to deliver multi-bagger returns.

An analysis of nearly 300 Asian small-cap schemes shows DSP BlackRock Micro Cap Fund leading the charge, delivering an 82% return over the past year. Managed by Vinit Sambre, who has been with DSP BlackRock for a little over three years, this fund has also soundly beaten the 58% rise of BSE’s Small-Cap Index since August 2009. The 30-share benchmark Sensex has gained 20% during this period while the wider BSE 500 Index is up 27%.

The other six schemes — Sundaram BNP Paribas Select Small Cap, HSBC Small Cap, JPMorgan Smaller Companies, Franklin India Prima, Franklin India Smaller Companies and ING Vysya CUB — have given investors returns between 44% and 57% on a trailing 12-month basis. These schemes manage anywhere between `46 crore and `954 crore.

Four of these funds were launched during the peak of the previous bull run between January 2007 and March 2008, and investors in them have also had to endure a massive erosion in their initial investment in the downturn that followed.

Mutual fund tracking firm Value Research called the DSP fund as an impressive product in the entire “small-cap universe”, noting that the stocks held by it were “credible, known names and there is a marked absence of momentum in the portfolio”. The fund’s holding includes companies with a high return on equity and strong leadership niches in their industries.

Value Research CEO Dhirendra Kumar said the closed-ended nature of some of these funds helped them weather the market turbulence. “These funds did not face redemption pressures through the declining phase. This, in turn helped them invest for the longer term,” he said.The DSP fund became open-ended in June this year and fund manager Mr Sambre has kept nearly 10% of his `311-crore corpus in cash to meet potential redemptions and to latch onto any opportunity in the market.

There are 10 small-cap funds in India, which manage roughly `3,450 crore in stocks. These account for just 2% of the total AUM under equity schemes.

Market experts say that as many large-cap stocks became fully priced and relatively unattractive over the past year, the rally shifted to small caps. Stocks such as cooler maker Symphony and luggage maker VIP Industries have led the small-cap charge in the market. Ahmedabad-based Symphony has surged 830% while VIP has risen 548% in the past 12 months. In comparison, top two gainers on the Sensex — Tata Motors and Tata Consultancy Services — are up 135% and 61%, respectively.

“Many small caps with excellent businesses were trading at a pathetically low valuations — many were trading below book value and at dividend yields of 5-7%,” says Deven Choksey, chief executive officer at KR Choksey Shares & Securities. “They just got purchased heavily.”

Even though small-cap funds have delivered solid returns in the past one year, experts say that investors must be cautious and have just 10-15% of their equity exposure in such funds or companies. This is largely because of the volatile nature of their stock performance.

“Investors should have a strong stomach and the ability to

withstand substantial declines in such funds,” says Mr Kumar at Value Research.

A wild black bear roaming through suburban neighborhoods in North Shelby County, Alabama, has become a social media sensation this week, drawing widespread attention as photos and videos captured the animal casually passing homes, peering into yards and clearing fences as though scouting real estate.

Posts documenting the bear’s movements began circulating rapidly among residents earlier this week, according to local outlet Bham Now. As the animal made its way along neighborhood streets, residents shared real-time photos and videos of its journey, contributing to the widespread online attention the sighting has generated.

Black bears once ranged widely across Alabama, but their numbers dropped sharply over the course of the state’s history due to habitat loss and hunting pressure. In 2006, the black bear was officially designated as Alabama’s state mammal, according to Bham Now, a symbolic recognition that came even as the species’ population remained heavily concentrated in just a few pockets of the state, primarily near Little River Canyon and Lookout Mountain in northeastern Alabama, as well as in the Mobile and Washington County area in the state’s southwest.

Conservation efforts led by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have helped the state’s black bear population gradually grow in recent years. That recovery has come with a notable behavioral pattern among young male bears specifically: according to Bham Now, male bears, particularly younger individuals, may roam as far as 100 miles from their dens in North Alabama during the summer months in search of new territory, a pattern that could help explain how a bear ended up wandering through the Birmingham suburbs, well outside the species’ core habitat range.

The sighting reflects a broader dynamic playing out across parts of the country as wildlife populations recover and human development continues expanding into or near natural habitats. As black bear populations and other wildlife rebound in various regions, animals are increasingly likely to move through residential neighborhoods that have been built near their habitats or along established travel corridors the animals have historically used to move between territories.

Human activity within those neighborhoods can also increase the likelihood of these kinds of encounters. Easily accessible food sources, including unsecured household trash, outdoor pet food left in yards, and bird seed placed in feeders, can draw bears into residential areas and, over time, teach the animals to associate proximity to people and homes with a reliable food source, making them more likely to linger near neighborhoods rather than moving through quickly.

That dynamic creates risks for both residents and the bears themselves. A bear wandering through a residential subdivision can raise immediate safety concerns for nearby residents, disrupt normal daily routines, and put both pets and people at risk of an unwanted encounter. For the bear, extended time spent near roads, fences and homes similarly increases the likelihood of vehicle collisions, physical injury, elevated stress, or other dangerous conflicts with people or domestic animals that the bear would not typically encounter within its natural habitat.

State wildlife officials have offered clear guidance for residents who encounter a bear in their neighborhood. According to guidance summarized by Bham Now, people should leave bears alone entirely, maintaining a safe distance and never attempting to feed or touch the animal under any circumstances. Officials have specifically warned that feeding bears, even unintentionally through unsecured food sources, can make future encounters more dangerous over time by conditioning the animals to associate human presence with an easy meal, a behavioral shift that tends to make bears bolder and less likely to avoid populated areas on their own.

Residents in areas where bears have been spotted can take several practical steps to reduce the likelihood of repeat visits from the same or other animals. Securing garbage in bear-resistant containers or storing it indoors until collection day, bringing outdoor pet food inside rather than leaving it accessible overnight, and removing other potential attractants such as unsecured bird feeders from yards can all help discourage bears from lingering in residential areas. If a bear is actively present nearby, residents are advised to supervise any pets closely and give the animal a clear, unobstructed path to move on, since cornering or startling a bear increases the risk of a tense or dangerous encounter for both the animal and any nearby people or pets.

Wildlife officials in Alabama and other states with recovering bear populations have increasingly emphasized public education around these kinds of encounters as black bear numbers continue rebounding in regions where the species had previously become rare or locally absent. As development continues to expand into or near areas bears use for seasonal movement, particularly during the summer dispersal period when young males often travel long distances from their home territory, wildlife officials expect similar sightings to continue occurring periodically in suburban and semi-rural communities located near the state’s core bear habitat zones.

For now, the North Shelby County bear appears to have simply been passing through, continuing what wildlife experts describe as a natural seasonal pattern of long-distance roaming among young male bears, even as its brief visit to the neighborhood turned it into an unexpected online sensation among residents who documented its unusual, homebuyer-like tour of the area.

New York state has recorded its first known case of Bourbon virus, a rare and potentially fatal illness transmitted through the bite of a Lone Star tick that currently has no known treatment or vaccine, according to physicians at Stony Brook Medicine in Suffolk County.

The confirmed patient was treated for the virus in April, according to Stony Brook Medicine, with the diagnosis made by Dr. Luis Marcos, a professor in the departments of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and director of the school’s Tick-borne Disease Clinic, along with his colleagues.

Marcos described the severity of the confirmed case, which required hospitalization. “This one case certainly was the Bourbon virus, and over a one-month period antibody titers increased eight-fold,” Marcos said. “The patient had shown some very severe symptoms and was hospitalized.” According to local media reports, the patient has since recovered from the illness.

Marcos and his colleagues published their findings in a broader study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, examining 107 individuals who presented with fever and other symptoms consistent with tick-borne illness between 2019 and 2024, according to Stony Brook Medicine.

Bourbon virus was first discovered in 2014 and takes its name from Bourbon County, Kansas, where the initial case was identified. Since its discovery, the virus has been confirmed to cause the deaths of at least two people, one in 2014 and a second in 2026, according to a news release from Stony Brook Medicine.

Marcos suggested that the virus may be significantly more widespread in the Northeast than current diagnosed case counts indicate, given both the region’s tick population and the overlap in symptoms between Bourbon virus and other, more commonly diagnosed tick-borne illnesses. “There are a lot of lone start ticks in New York and in the Northeast, we have dense populations, and when someone is infected with Bourbon virus symptoms they are similar to other tick-born infections,” Marcos said. “For these reasons, the Bourbon virus is likely more prevalent than we think in our region and other cases are likely not being diagnosed.”

Cases of Bourbon virus have previously been reported across the Midwest and Southern United States in addition to the Northeast, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of the infection include fever, fatigue, rash, headache, body aches, nausea and vomiting, the CDC said, a symptom profile that closely overlaps with several other tick-borne illnesses, complicating efforts to accurately diagnose the virus without specific antibody testing.

There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Bourbon virus infection, and no approved medication exists to treat the illness once contracted, leaving supportive medical care as the primary treatment option for patients who develop severe symptoms. The virus remains considerably rarer than more well-known and extensively studied tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease, which affects a far larger number of people annually and has been the subject of significantly more scientific research and public health attention.

Marcos and his co-authors emphasized the need for expanded medical infrastructure to better track and diagnose the virus going forward. The researchers wrote that their study results “highlight the need for expanded viral surveillance, clinical testing and assay development to improve clinical decision-making and inform tick-borne disease epidemiology and vector management.”

The Lone Star tick, formally known by the scientific name Amblyomma americanum, is the specific tick species responsible for transmitting Bourbon virus to humans. The species has expanded its range significantly across parts of the eastern and central United States in recent years, a shift researchers have linked to changing climate conditions and land use patterns that have created more favorable habitat for the tick across a broader geographic area, including parts of the Northeast where the species was historically less common.

Health officials generally recommend standard tick-bite prevention measures to reduce the risk of Bourbon virus and other tick-borne illnesses, including wearing long sleeves and pants when in wooded or grassy areas, using insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, conducting thorough tick checks after spending time outdoors, and promptly removing any attached ticks using fine-tipped tweezers. Because early symptoms of Bourbon virus closely resemble those of other tick-borne illnesses and common viral infections, physicians have emphasized that a high index of clinical suspicion, combined with a thorough patient travel and exposure history, remains important for identifying potential cases that might otherwise go undiagnosed or be misattributed to a more commonly recognized tick-borne illness.

With New York’s first confirmed case now documented and researchers continuing to study the virus’s broader prevalence in the region, health officials and infectious disease specialists are expected to continue monitoring for additional cases as diagnostic testing capacity for the rare virus gradually expands across the Northeast and other regions where the Lone Star tick population continues to grow.