Inside the collection
The research observatory.
Explore the collection’s coverage, evidence balance and research programme. Counts describe what we have assembled, not how certain the evidence is.
Last data refresh: October 6, 2026
01The framework, live
Two layers, honestly graded. Layer 1 mechanisms are universal biology engaged at South Asian-relevant thresholds. What makes the framework South Asian is Layer 2, the integration of genetics, diet, culture, and diaspora context. Each concept shows its current study count and evidence maturity.
02We count the evidence against us
We grade studies by what they do to the framework: support it, qualify it, reframe it, or contradict it. Ungraded records remain visible. A concept with nothing but support is treated as under-examined, not proven. Honest medicine counts its counterevidence.
View as table
| Concept | support | neutral | qualify | reframe | contradict | Ungraded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fragile Engine | 391 | 659 | 146 | 84 | 28 | 69 |
| Burn and Crash | 389 | 955 | 122 | 55 | 50 | 70 |
| The Overflow Tank | 412 | 554 | 132 | 79 | 31 | 49 |
| The Undersized Filter | 155 | 481 | 51 | 16 | 18 | 41 |
| Nutrient Substrate | 184 | 375 | 49 | 22 | 21 | 8 |
| The Signal Fire | 100 | 262 | 49 | 21 | 11 | 12 |
| The Thrifty Engine | 91 | 56 | 29 | 16 | 17 | 9 |
03Where the evidence sits in a life
The framework organises evidence across four stages of phenotype evolution. Earlier stages can be missed by routine assessments. Records may cover more than one stage; these counts are research coverage, not patient risk estimates.
04A young field, moving fast
Studies in our collection, by publication year. The distribution reflects what we have reviewed so far, not the distribution of all South Asian health research. Historical coverage is still being expanded.
Publication counts by year
| Year | Studies |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 4 |
| 1992 | 9 |
| 1993 | 7 |
| 1994 | 10 |
| 1995 | 7 |
| 1996 | 7 |
| 1997 | 16 |
| 1998 | 10 |
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | 15 |
| 2001 | 17 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 25 |
| 2004 | 25 |
| 2005 | 24 |
| 2006 | 38 |
| 2007 | 38 |
| 2008 | 35 |
| 2009 | 57 |
| 2010 | 55 |
| 2011 | 52 |
| 2012 | 84 |
| 2013 | 92 |
| 2014 | 84 |
| 2015 | 64 |
| 2016 | 72 |
| 2017 | 87 |
| 2018 | 101 |
| 2019 | 526 |
| 2020 | 862 |
| 2021 | 931 |
| 2022 | 843 |
| 2023 | 684 |
| 2024 | 854 |
| 2025 | 942 |
| 2026 | 810 |
05The N=1 repository
5,820 records in the South Asian case literature collection, including legacy study anchors, filed across 18 clinical domains. A library for finding patterns and generating questions, not estimating individual risk.
06Recently added, and what it means
Recently added records from the research pipeline. Inclusion is not endorsement; open the published source to assess the study and its limitations.
- Age at type 2 diabetes diagnosis, mortality, and health loss in South Asians.Population-based CARRS cohort (urban Delhi and Chennai) of 21,574 adults, mean age 43.3 years, of whom 6,251 had diabetes, followed for a median 8.7 years with 2,163 deaths. Using time-dependent Cox models with participants without type 2 diabetes as the reference, adjusted… PMID 41966281
- Angiographic Characteristics and Associated Risk Factors of Premature Coronary Artery Disease among South Asians: A Systematic Review.Systematic review across multiple databases of angiographic characteristics and associated risk factors in premature coronary artery disease (CAD) in South Asians: forty studies with a total of 18,863 patients were included, sixteen studies divided patients into age groups and… PMID 41005595
- Circulating Metabolic Biomarkers Are Consistently Associated With Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Asian and European Populations.Pooled analysis of two Singapore cohorts (n = 6393; Chinese, Malay and Indian adults) and three Finnish cohorts of European-origin participants (n = 14 558) in which 154 circulating metabolic biomarkers were quantified by nuclear magnetic resonance at baseline and tested against… PMID 35390150
- Type 2 diabetes in South Asians compared to Europeans: Higher risk and earlier development of major cardiovascular events irrespective of the presence and degree of retinopathy. Results from The HinDu The Hague Diabetes Study.Retrospective single-centre clinic cohort in The Hague, the Netherlands, of 3831 adults with type 2 diabetes (1358 South Asians, 92.6% of them Surinamese Hindustani, and 2473 Europeans) treated between 2006 and 2017, comparing time from diabetes diagnosis to the first non-fatal… PMID 34277967
- Phenotypic and genotypic differences between Indian and Scandinavian women with gestational diabetes mellitus.Eighty-five gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes loci identified in European and/or Indian populations were tested for association with GDM, defined by Swedish GDM criteria, in 4018 Punjabi Indian and 507 Swedish pregnant women. Selected loci were replicated… PMID 30919529
07Access
Public summaries help you explore the work. Ask Zinda requires verified email and offers bounded explanations from selected summaries, with sources. Full dossiers, protocols, and training data are not included in public or registered access.
- The public research observatory
- The framework, honestly graded
- Selected case highlights
- Chai Shots and Field Notes
- Questions answered from approved research summaries
- Sources and evidence limits with each answer
- Visual explanations of selected concepts
- Optional connection to the clinic
- Access reviewed for your research purpose
- Selected protocols by agreement
- Selected Gene Atlas material
- Study dossiers by permission
From research to a conversation
What does this mean for you?
Research can help you ask better questions. Your health history, priorities, and care decisions deserve a conversation with a clinician.
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Omar Saleem, MD
Founder & Clinical Director
South Asian health, in context.