Source: http://frugaldad.com
Thanks Beth!
The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of walking or other moderately vigorous exercise at least five times each week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise at least three times each week, along with activities to increase or maintain muscular strength twice a week as well as daily activities like gardening and housework.
Not everybody can tolerate exerise the same way after a heart attack. Talk to your doctor who will probably ask you to do a stress test- your heart is monitored while walking on a treadmill or riding a stationnary bike. Many people participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program after their first heart attack where the heart is monitred during exercise to ensure the intensity is safe.
First, some facts:
The more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the easier it is for the glucose (sugar) that’s in the foods you eat to get used up by your body. When your cells become insensitive or resistant to insulin, the glucose doesn’t get used up by your body but instead stays floating in your blood, causing high blood sugar. You body cries out for the glucose it needs to function causing your pancreas to over-compensate and produce even more insulin. This combination of insulin-resistance and insulin over-production by the pancreas leads to diabetes and/or obesity, increased risk of heart disease.
Inhaling oxygen produces free radicals. These free radicals attack the body causing you to age and also causes illnesses like heart disease and cancer and, eventually, death. 2-3% of the oxygen consumed by our cells is converted into free radicals.
When we exercise, we use lots of oxygen, increasing free radical production and all the stuff that goes with that.
Antioxidants are those highly publicized substances found in plant foods like fruits and vegetables that neutralize free radicals.That's why eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is good for you!
The Study:
It seems logical that taking supplemental antioxidants, like Vitamins C and E, would reduce the harmful effects of the free radicals produced during exercise and promote longer life and better health, right?
That’s what German researchers thought when they decided to observe 40 young healthy men (half were pretty sedentary and half exercised about 6 hours a week)- randomly assigned, half took a combination of 1000mg of vitamin C (btw, the recommended intake is 75mg and 90mg/day for women and men respectively) and 400 IU of vitamin E (recommended intake is 33 IU/d)- these amounts are commonly found in over-the-counter supplements- for 4 weeks while the other half didn’t. Both groups exercised, supervised, 85 minutes a day, five days a week for the 4 weeks of the study (workouts included biking, running and circuit training).
What they Found:
The exercisers NOT taking the antioxidants did have more free radicals floating around in their bodies but had a significant increase in insulin sensitivity (a good thing), as predicted. However, there was no increase in insulin sensitivity in those taking the antioxidants... but there were less free radicals.
It seems that the supplemental antioxidants prevent the health benefits of exercise when it comes to diabetes prevention. According to the authors, the free radicals produced during exercise are actually a good thing as they activate the body’s defense systems against exercise-induced stress, allowing it to use carbohydrates (glucose) more efficiently, thus helping to prevent diabetes and possibly other diseases. Taking supplemental antioxidants blocks this process and therefore health promoting effects of exercise.
Bottom Line:
Antioxidants like Vitamins C and E found in food protect our body from damage and help prevent diseases like cancer- this doesn’t change. However, taking high doses in supplemental form can be harmful.
As I’ve said before, if you're healthy and eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, you don’t need supplements!
Previous blog entries that drive this point home: Vitamin Supplements Can Kill You & Get Rid of your Multivitamin and Eat Real Food!
According to 2006 data from the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), the healthiest city in the States is Burlington, Vermont. The unhealthiest city: Huntington, West Virginia.
The data corroborates what we’ve already known- that age, income and educational status affect health. Although both are small college towns, Burlington residents are younger (average age 37 versus 40), richer (8% living at the poverty level versus 19%) and more educated (40% have at least a bachelor’s degree versus 15%) than Huntington residents. Nearly half of the Huntington residents are obese, 22% have heart disease and 13% have diagnosed diabetes. 31% of Huntington residents report not exercising at all.
According to the 2007 CDC data, Lincoln, Nebraska surpassed Burlington as the healthiest city (Burlington went down to 4th place) but Huntington, West Virginia remained the unhealthiest! 92.8% of Lincoln residents reported being in good health compared to only 68.8% of Huntington residents.
Today was the first day that an estimated 1-1.5 billion Muslims around the world started a month long fast- it’s the first day of Ramadan, the holy month of Islam (in North America, Ramadan will start tomorrow, Sept 2nd). It is the duty of all healthy adult Muslims to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, sexual activity and even gossiping during sunlight hours for the next 29-30 days- the Koran exempts the sick, the elderly, children below the age of puberty and pregnant women from this duty. The purpose of Ramadan is both physical and spiritual; through fasting and prayer, Muslims practice self-discipline and sacrifice that allows them not only be able to sympathise with the less fortunate, but to cleanse their souls and be relieved of past sins.
During Ramadan, most people will consume two meals a day: the Iftar or the meal at sunset that breaks the fast and the Suhur or the pre-dawn meal. Perhaps a little surprising is that, according to most studies, 50-60% of people who fast will maintain their weight during this month. The rest will either gain weight, as a result of compensatory eating during non-fasting hours, or lose weight- this is more common in overweight individuals.
In order to keep weight stable during Ramadan, it is recommended to avoid the common practice of eating foods rich in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates during non-fasting hours. Instead, the diet during Ramadan shouldn’t differ much from a normal healthy balanced diet rich in complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, protein and healthy fats. It’s also recommended to eat the morning meal as late as possible to keep the time between meals as short as possible.
Dehydration is a very real risk, especially in this hot weather. It’s recommended to take in more fluids during non-fasting hours and to avoid strenuous exercise during fasting hours. Instead, exercise 2 hours after the iftar.
An estimated 40-50 million people with diabetes are expected to fast during Ramadan even though they would be exempt from fasting given that their medical condition may place them at high risk for complications. There is limited information on the consequences of fasting during Ramadan on people with diabetes- most of the findings are based on the 2001 population-based Epidemiology of Diabetes and Ramadan (EPIDIAR) study that looked at 12 243 people with diabetes from 13 Islamic countries. Basically, the study found that risks associated with fasting include low blood sugar, high blood sugar, diabetic ketoacidosis and dehydration.
People with diabetes should obtain a medical assessment 1-2 months prior to Ramadan and obtain proper education on symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, blood glucose monitoring, physical activity, meal planning and how to manage complications. They should also monitor their blood glucose frequently and break the fast if blood glucose falls below 3.9 mmol/L or goes above 16.7 mmol/L or if they become sick.
To avoid high blood sugar after their sunset meal, people with diabetes should spread out their meal, distributing calories over 2-3 smaller meals during the non-fasting interval. They should also exercise 2 hours after the sunset meal rather than during the day. Insulin and medication regimens most probably need to be changed and should be discussed with either their doctor or diabetes educator.
This said, people with Type 1 Diabetes should be advised not to take part in Ramadan since they are at high risk of developing complications, as are people with diabetes that cannot or are unwilling to monitor their blood glucose multiple times during the day. Nonetheless, fasting is a religious decision that is made by individuals, hopefully after receiving appropriate advise from their medical team as well as from their imams (religious leaders).
Ramadan Mubarak!
Sources:Muslims prepare for start of Ramadan. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/08/31/ramadan.html?ref=rss
The Trials of Ramadan Fasting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6989742.stm
Ramadan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
Recommendations for Management of Diabetes During Ramadan. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/reprint/28/9/2305.pdf
Japan is currently undertaking the world’s most ambitious anti-obesity campaign. A national law came into effect a couple of months ago that requires companies and local governments to measure the waistlines of their employees that are between the ages of 40 and 75. This in itself is a huge undertaking given that that represents 56 million waistlines. Those that exceed the state-prescribed limits of 33.5 inches (85cm) for men and 35.4 inches (90cm) for women- as defined by the International Diabetes Federation- and have weight-related issues, will be told to lose weight. If they don’t succeed in 3 months, they will be given dietary guidelines. If unsuccessful after 6 months, they will have to have addition education.
These efforts have been put in place to curb the growth of metabolic syndrome in Japan, to reduce the overweight population by 10% in the next 4 years and by 25% in the next 7 years, and, of course, to cut health care costs.
Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a collection of risk factors for heart disease including abdominal obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The term ‘metabo’ has become widely used in Japan and has become synonymous with ‘overweight’.
Companies must get 10% of those deemed metabo to lose weight by 2012 and 25% to lose weight by 2015. If these targets aren’t met, the government will impose financial penalties. And the penalty isn’t trivial. NEC, Japan’s largest maker of personal computers, could incur a penalty of up to $19 million. As a result, the company is taking action, measuring the waists of all employees over the age of 30 and sponsoring metabo education days for employees and their families.
Opponents to the new government crackdown claim the criteria is too strict, the results will result in overmedication and therefore increase healthcare costs.
For a while now, health professionals have been saying that waist circumference is a better predictor of long-term health than the scale. Fat around the waist is linked with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, as well as back pain, some cancers, breathing problems and even death.
Perhaps the Canadian and American governments should start a similar campaign? The waist circumference criteria for North Americans is less than 40 inches (102cm) for men and less than 35 inches (88cm) for women- higher than in Asian. American health surveys show that over the past forty years, the average waist size for men has grown from 35 inches to 39 inches; for women, from 30 inches to 37 
inches.
39% of men and 60% of women have waist circumferences above target.
According to a 2002 study, people with 41-inch waists pay about $2,600 more per year in annual medical expenses than do those with 32-inch waists.
The National Institutes of Health recommends that men with waists measuring 37 inches or greater and women with waists larger than 31.5 inches modify their lifestyles to reduce their waists and resulting health risks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=health
http://www.idf.org/webdata/docs/MetSyndrome_FINAL.pdf
http://www.healthnews.com/family-health/aging-getter-older/japanese-government-declares-war-fat-1221.html
A new Canadian study just appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is getting a bit of press. Participants were non-diabetic men, aged 18-50 (average age was 23) with a BMI between 19-29 (average was 25).
The men were either given caffeinated coffee or decaf coffee 1 hour before their breakfast. The ones that received caffeinated coffee were given an amount of Maxwell House Original Roast that provided an equivalent of 5 mg caffeine/kg. The average weight of the participants was 78.5kg so they got an average of 390mg caffeine* or about 2.5 cups of this coffee (which had 62g caffeine/100mL). The decaf group received an equivalent volume of decaf.
The participants were then given either a high glycemic index bowl of cereal – Crispex- or a low glycemic index breakfast- All Bran- with the same amount of milk. The amount of cereal was calculated so that both meals provided 75g carbohydrates.
The subjects were randomly placed in all 4 groups with 1-2 weeks between them. 2 days before each trial, subjects were asked to not drink any caffeinated or alcoholic beverages or do any strenuous exercise.
This is another common myth. It is based on the notion that if you eliminate carbs as an energy source you will have to increase fat intake to compensate (there is a limit to how much protein you can eat). It was thought that an increase in fat would lead to high cholesterol which is associated with heart disease. When the studies were actually done on this, however, much to everyone’s surprise, the opposite happened. People on a low-carb diet improved their cholesterol readings even when they increased their fat intake and even when their intake of saturated fat (the so-called bad fat) increased. It appears that when you body must rely on fat for energy, the saturated fat you eat gets burned up before it can cause any harm. Another factor that plays a role in heart disease is the level of inflammation in our system. If the markers of inflammation are high we recognize this as a sign of increased risk of heart disease. We commonly order a C-reactive protein test, a marker of inflammation in the blood, to assess a person’s risk. A recent study showed that people on a low-carb diet demonstrated significantly reduced inflammatory markers.
Although there haven’t been any long term studies yet to prove it, the existing science suggests that a low-carb high-fat diet may actually reduce the risk of heart disease.
I think the fact that no long-term studies have been done is important to note.
