The Star : Tuesday August 16, 2011

Studies show 15 minutes of daily exercise can help.

LOS ANGELES: Don't despair if you can't fit in the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise. Growing evidence suggests that even half that much can help. It's still no excuse to slack off. Regular exercise strengthens muscles, reduces the risk of some diseases and promotes mental well-being. The more exercise, the better. But not everyone has the time or willpower. So researchers set out to find the minimum amount of physical activity needed to reap health benefits. The findings by a study in Taiwan suggest just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day can lead to a longer life. This "may convince many individuals that they are able to incorporate physical activity into their busy lives," Dr. Anil Nigam of the University of Montreal said in an email. Nigam had no role in the research but wrote an editorial accompanying the Taiwan study published online Monday in The Lancet. Fitness guidelines by the World Health Organization, the U.S. and other countries recommend that adults get at least a half-hour of moderate workout most days of the week. This can include brisk walking, bike riding and water aerobics. Realizing that it might be difficult for some to break a sweat, health groups have suggested breaking it down into smaller, more manageable chunks of time such as three 10-minute spurts a day on weekdays. The latest study, a large one led by researchers at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan, sought to determine if exercising less than the recommended half-hour was still helpful. The researchers noted that east Asians - including China, Japan and Taiwan - are generally less physically active than their Western counterparts and their workouts tend to be less intense. About 416,000 Taiwanese adults were asked how much exercise they did the previous month.

Based on their answers, they were put into five groups of varying activity levels from inactive to highly active. Researchers kept track of their progress for eight years on average and calculated projected life expectancy. The study found those who exercised just 15 minutes a day - or 90 minutes a week - cut their risk of death by 14 percent and extended their life expectancy by three years compared with those who did no exercise. Both men and women benefited equally from the minimum activity. Each additional 15 minutes of exercise reduced the risk of death by another 4 percent compared with the inactive group. Researchers did not report how additional exercise affected life expectancy. There were some limitations. Answers were self-reported. The study, though large, was observational, which means the health benefits may not be entirely due to exercise. But researchers said they took into account other factors that might affect health such as smoking and drinking. And outside scientists said the findings are in line with other studies. For the sedentary, the key is this: Some exercise is better than none. "Get off the couch and start moving," said I-Min Lee of the Harvard School of Public Health. In a study published in Circulation earlier this month, Lee and colleagues found that people who engaged in 15 minutes a day of moderate physical activity had a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with inactive people. That research, combining the results of nearly three dozen studies of people from North America and Europe, also found that the benefit increased with more activity and may provide more motivation to the physically fit. People should strive to do the recommended level of exercise, but should not be discouraged if they can't achieve it right away. Start slow and gradually build up.
"As inactive persons start moving, they may very well find that they become more fit" and reaching their exercise goal becomes easier, Lee said.

The Star Wednesday July 6, 2011

High number of diseases related to smoking

KUCHING: It is a never-ending battle between the health department and habitual cigarette smoking. Sarawak Health Department has recorded a number of cases of diseases related to smoking last year alone. A total of 333 cases of malignant neoplasm of the bronchus and lung was recorded along with 24 cases of secondary malignant neoplasm of the lung, five cases of malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of the body and 12 cases of the same condition on specified areas. As for stroke, there are 748 cases and 781 cases of heart failure. Last year also recorded 1,171 essential (primary) hypertension and 1,680 cases of Ischaemic heart diseases. Tobacco in cigarettes consists of more than 400 toxic substan- ces and 4,000 chemical compounds. Out of them, the most hazardous is tar which has a carcinogen substance, nicotine which increases cholesterol levels in the body and carbon monoxide which decreases the amount of oxygen within the body. Nicotine is the most addictive substance in tobacco. Smoking decreases the levels of oxygen reaching tissues, giving rise to different health problems such as strokes, heart attacks or miscarriages for women. It increases cholesterol levels in the blood, raising the risk of a heart attack. The habit also constricts the blood vessels and cause chronic coughing, shortness of breath, premature aging, recurrent infections and reduces overall fitness. Smoking related deaths are mainly due to heart diseases, cancers and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.

Health: A healthy diet has five colours (New Straits Times)

2010/09/13

IT is probably easier said than done. Malaysians need to change their lifestyles by engaging in physical activities and eating more vegetables and fruits.

Unfortunately, some 8.7 million Malaysians dont eat enough vegetables and fruits daily, based on the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey 2006. In another survey by the Health Ministry in 2008, it was found that 40 per cent of Malaysians consume green leafy vegetables but only five per cent eat fruits every day. Consultant dietitian Indra Balaratnam says poor nutrition choices and insufficient physical activity can lead to people suffering from high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Every year, 11.6 million Malaysians suffer from at least one of these diseases and 10,000 die from it. To maintain the suggested daily servings of fruits and vegetables, she says it is better to add a variety of vegetables in all dishes, replace a snack or after-meal dessert with fruits, add fruits into cereals, and drink fruit juices instead of carbonated drinks. Phytonutrients components found naturally in fruits and vegetables offer positive benefits against NCD. The colours of these fruits and vegetables can be a helpful guide when it comes to assessing how beneficial they are to the body. The five main colours are green, yellow/orange, red, purple or blue and white. Green vegetables and fruits such as spinach (bayam), water convolvulus (kangkung), sawi, broccoli, long beans, peas and apples contain lutein. Lutein help lower the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration as well as help prevent or slow down atherosclerosis, the thickening of arteries, which is a major risk for cardiovascular disease. Blue and purple vegetables and fruits have antioxidant protection while yellow/orange coloured fruits and vegetables help in maintaining bone density. Meanwhile, Amway Malaysia has, through its nutrition product Nutrilite, launched an educational campaign called Colour Yourself Healthy. This campaign is to raise awareness on the need to include five colours of fruits and vegetables in our daily diet. To get the message across, the company has created a Colour Yourself Healthy Facebook game in a move to encourage Malaysians to change their diet. It hopes to reach 1.7 million people.

Amway head of marketing Deric Tan, who has challenged himself to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables of at least five colours, admits that it is not an easy task. Given our Malaysian diet, it is quite a challenge, he says. By Kasmiah Mustapha