C6 Tuesday, January 28, 2014
FITNESS & WELL-BEING HEALTH BITES ............................................ Jeanette Wang jeanette.wang@scmp.com
Small size in early pregnancy linked to poor heart health Poor growth in the first three months of pregnancy is associated with a range of cardiovascular risk factors in childhood, according to a study published on bmj.com today. The findings, by a team of researchers in the Netherlands, add to a growing body of evidence and suggest that the first trimester of pregnancy may be a critical period for cardiovascular health in later life.
Lite fantastic
Older brains slow due to greater experience Traditionally it is thought that age leads to a steady deterioration of brain function, but new research in Topics in Cognitive Science argues that older brains may take longer to process ever increasing amounts of knowledge, and this has often been misidentified as declining capacity. The study, led by Dr Michael Ramscar of the University of Tübingen, takes a critical look at the measures that are usually thought to show that
The little-known Dash diet is consistently ranked highest among healthy eating plans, but what makes it different from all of the others? Jeanette Wang investigates
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hough it may sound like another quick-fix fad diet, the Dash diet is anything but. The eating plan – short for dietary approaches to stop hypertension – is proven to lower blood pressure, and may also aid weight loss. For the fourth straight year, the Dash diet has topped the US News best diets chart, a sparkling testament to its reliability and efficacy. The list of 32 diets, released this month, was developed by a panel of experts in diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease. Few people have heard of the Dash diet, which was developed by the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. That’s probably down to its unsexy name, and the less-than-unique theory behind it. But the diet deserves more attention, especially as the incidence of hypertension increases with a modern lifestyle. The Dash diet requires no special foods or starvation. It’s based on age-old common sense about balanced nutrition and calorie intake in relation to age and activity levels. Followers of the plan load up on foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, and stay away from red meat, sweets and salt. The diet is high in potassium, magnesium, calcium and antioxidants, which are crucial to fending off hypertension. Rigorous studies set the Dash diet apart from other nutritional regimens that don’t deliver, and may even threaten your health. In research released last September by the University of Michigan’s Frankel Cardiovascular Centre, elderly heart failure patients who followed the Dash diet for 21 days saw a drop in blood pressure similar to taking anti-hypertension medicine. In another study published
in 2012, in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 144 sedentary, obese or overweight adults, who had high blood pressure and were not on medication, were randomly split into three groups. The groups either took the Dash diet alone, the Dash diet in combination with weight-loss counselling and aerobic exercise, or did not change their diet and exercise habits. After four months, those who took the diet in combination with weight-loss counselling and exercise lost an average of 9kg, while weight remained stable in the other two groups. All participants who followed the Dash diet had significant reductions in blood pressure. Other research has shown the diet to increase “good” highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and decrease “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, a fatty substance that has been linked to heart disease. The Dash diet scored 4.1 out of a possible five, based on ratings in seven categories: ease to follow, ability to produce short-term and long-term weight loss, nutritional completeness, safety, and potential for preventing and managing diabetes and heart disease. The Dukan and Paleo diets, which are both heavy on protein, tied for last place in the rankings with an overall score of just 2.0.
[Those in Asia] have lower rates of cancer and heart disease than Americans US NEWS MAGAZINE DIET REPORT
Surprisingly, the vegan diet came in down the list at 18, with an overall rating of three. In spite of its healthy halo, the experts felt it was extremely restrictive and may not provide enough of some nutrients. But the diet did score quite high marks for diabetes and heart disease prevention. The traditional Asian diet fared better at 11th – a tie with the vegetarian diet – with an overall score of 3.5. The report authors say the Asian diet may aid weight loss, disease prevention and optional health. The theory, the magazine report says, is that Asians tend to have lower rates of cancer, heart disease and obesity than Americans, and they typically live longer. Researchers suspect this is largely due to their diet: a low-fat, healthy eating style that emphasises rice, vegetables, fresh fruit and fish, with little red meat. If they saw how Hongkongers eat, perhaps the authors would change their minds. If you’re trying to stick to a diet for the Lunar New Year, here’s a look at the best and worst plans out there, whether your goal is good health or a hot body. THE TOP FIVE 1. Dash (Dietary approaches to stop hypertension) Overall score: 4.1 Type: balanced Theory: see above 2. TLC (therapeutic lifestyle changes) Overall score: 4 Type: low-fat Theory: you’ll eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, fish and skin-off poultry. No more than 7 per cent of daily calories come from saturated fat, and no more than 200mg of cholesterol come from food. By cutting back sharply on fat, in particular
saturated fat, and limiting daily dietary cholesterol while increasing fibre intake, the diet aids cholesterol management, often without medication. It was created by the US National Institutes of Health. 3. Mayo Clinic Overall score: 3.9 Type: balanced Theory: no food group is completely off-limits. You’ll shed from 3kg to 5kg in the first two weeks – a phase where you don’t count calories, and can snack on unlimited fruits and veggies. During the next phase, you’ll balance calorie needs, and continue to lose 1kg a week until you hit your target weight. 4. Mediterranean Overall score: 3.9 Type: balanced Theory: a diet low in red meat, sugar and saturated fat, and high in fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, beans, olive oil, and flavourful herbs and spices. Plus a little red wine, some fish and seafood, and a good serving of physical activity. This is how people in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea supposedly live longer, and suffer less from cardiovascular ailments and cancer. They reportedly have a lower likelihood of being overweight or obese, too. 5. Weight Watchers Overall score: 3.9 Type: balanced Theory: every food is assigned a points value based on its nutritional make-up and how hard your body has to work to burn it off. Choices that fill you up the longest “cost” the least, and nutritionally dense foods cost less than empty calories. You can eat whatever you want, provided you stick to your daily points target, a number
4.1
because cooking obliterates The Dash diet’s score most of out of a possible five the vitamins in food, THE BOTTOM FIVE and nearly all of the 28. The Fast diet immunity-boosting Overall score: 2.5 plant nutrients. Type: low-calorie What’s bad: experts judged it Theory: by fasting intermittently – extremely difficult to follow, and cutting calories to 25 per cent of low on nutritional completeness your normal intake for two days a and safety (due to the risk of food week – the body is fooled into poisoning from eating raw or thinking it may be experiencing a undercooked ingredients). famine, switches into maintenance mode, and burns 31. Dukan diet energy from fat stores. Overall score: 2.0 What’s bad: experts cited a lack of Type: high-protein evidence to support long-term Theory: when protein supplies the weight loss and questioned the majority of a diet, the body is feasibility of sticking with the forced to burn stored fat as an plan for an extended period. alternative fuel. Fast weight The diet also scored near the loss ensues. bottom for nutritional What’s bad: because of the completeness, since it lacks high amount of protein, the sufficient guidance for the five kidneys need to work especially non-fasting days (you can hard, and that could injure them, basically eat whatever you want). or worsen existing kidney It’s also not considered problems. The experts were appropriate for anyone who sharply critical of the diet’s becomes light-headed without lack of nutritional completeness, food, or for diabetics, who would how difficult it is to follow, its be at risk of low blood sugar. inability to prevent or control diabetes and heart disease, and 29. Atkins diet even its lack of safety. Overall score: 2.3 Type: low-carb 31. Paleo diet Theory: limiting carbs makes Overall score: 2.0 the body turn to stored fat. Type: high-protein What’s bad: experts gave it low Theory: modern diets containing ratings for safety and heart processed food are the reason for health, and were only slightly many ailments. So going back to more positive about how easy it is the Paleolithic period and eating to follow and its prospects for like hunter-gatherers – that is, long-term weight loss. A sample eating lots of animal protein and Atkins diet evaluated by the panel plants – is the solution. had excessive total and saturated What’s bad: experts were critical fat and too little whole grains, of its lack of nutritional fruits and vegetables. completeness, its cost, and its applicability for weight loss and 29. Raw food diet for preventing or controlling Overall score: 2.3 diabetes and heart disease. The Type: low-calorie diet came out at, or near, the Theory: eating fruits, veggies, bottom in every category. nuts and seeds in their whole, jeanette.wang@scmp.com natural state is more nutritious, based on your gender, weight, height and age. Done right, you’ll drop up to 1kg a week.
our cognitive abilities decline across adulthood. Ramscar’s team used computers, programmed to act as though they were human, to read a certain amount each day, learning new things along the way. When the researchers let a computer “read” a limited amount, its performance on cognitive tests resembled that of a young adult. But if the same computer was exposed to data which represented a lifetime of experiences, its performance looked like that of an older adult. Often it was slower, not because its processing capacity had declined, but because “experience” had caused the computer’s database to grow, giving it more data to process, and that processing takes time.
Probability of blindness from glaucoma has nearly halved The probability of blindness due to the serious eye disease glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980, according to a study published this month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The researchers speculate that advances in diagnosis and therapy are likely causes for the decrease, but caution that a significant proportion of patients still progress to blindness. Glaucoma affects 60.5 million people globally.
WE RUN HK ................................................ Rachel Jacqueline life@scmp.com The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, which started in 1997 with a humble 1,000 runners, has grown into a running festival for the city, with 73,000 racers expected to take part next month. To celebrate the city’s passion for the sport, we’ll be featuring one inspirational local runner each week until the race on February 16. Nothing gets in between Christina Kui and her running. Not even breast cancer. A month after undergoing surgery in 2011, the energetic Kui ran the Tokyo Marathon. If she’d run just 14 seconds faster than her four
hour, 13 second finishing time, she would have qualified for the Boston Marathon. It is not, however, results that motivate Kui, but the desire to keep moving. The executive assistant is taking part in the Hong Kong Marathon next month for the fifth time, when she’ll run the half marathon. It may not be her best performance – she’s been experiencing joint pain from a change in medication – but it certainly won’t be her last. Exercise, she claims, helps to speed up her recovery. She runs up to four times a week and swims every other day. Besides, she says, her running training is practical too. If she’s late, she can run for the bus or ferry without breaking a sweat.
I actually enjoy swimming more than running. I have been swimming for some 20 years now, but I find distance running is an amazing skill to have. Plus, it keeps me very fit.
This year’s race will be Christina Kui’s fifth Hong Kong Marathon.
I took up running for the first time about 10 years ago when I signed up for the 2004 Ironman New Zealand in Taupo. I didn’t even know what an Ironman was before I said “yes” to taking part. (It was a 3.8 kilometre swim, 180.2 kilometre cycle and a 42.2 kilometre run.) To prepare, I signed up for my first marathon in Beijing at the end of 2003. I had no training plan and only ran for an hour or so on alternative days. My longest run was 21 kilometres along Bowen Road. Everyone
said I would definitely get a DNF [“Did Not Finish”]. I ended up finishing in 4 hours, 35 minutes. I’ve just started running on the trails recently. Last year I did the 48-kilometre Raleigh Challenge on the Wilson Trail. Trail running is completely different from road running. On the road you have to keep to a pace. In trail running, it’s over different types of terrain at different speeds. It was not my first ultra-marathon though; I did the 65-kilometre Round the Island race in 2010. I think my mind must be quite tough. I’ve heard that people always underestimate themselves. Of course, running can be painful, but if you set
your mind to it you can get through it. Right after a race, or the next day, you may be in a bit of pain, but soon you’ll forget about it and only remember the success. Although I’m clear of cancer, my condition is really bad this year. I’ve changed my medication and it’s been giving me some joint pain. So I signed up for the halfmarathon hoping to whip myself into shape – it’s given me something to focus on. My first thought as I cross the finish line will likely be “I will run faster next time”. If I didn’t try it I would never have known that I, too, can be a runner.