Lack of exercise bigger killer than smoking, ageing forum told

Sunday, Apr 06, 2014

The Straits Times
By Salma Khalik

SINGAPORE - It is never too late for the elderly to start exercising. This can help the wheelchair-bound gain enough muscle and balance to get up and walk and tighten their muscles so that they no longer suffer from incontinence, said a speaker at an ageing conference.

Ms Lena Karjaluoto, chief executive officer of HUR, a major maker of exercise equipment for the elderly, said nobody is ever too old to exercise.

In fact, a lack of physical exercise is more harmful than smoking, she told the 360 participants from 13 countries at the two-day 5th Ageing Asia Investment Forum at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.

Older people who do strength training are also less likely to fall, she added.Each year, 5.3 million people die from physical inactivity compared to 5.1 million who die from tobacco-related causes, she said, quoting World Health Organisation figures. Deaths from a lack of exercise are also about four times the 1.2 million from road accidents each year.

In Singapore, some homes have tried to get their elderly clients to be more active.

Peacehaven Nursing Home, for instance, did a three-month exercise trial for 15 patients. Its executive director, Madam Low Mui Lang, said the mood of six participants improved, and several could walk for longer distances and had more strength in their grip.

But more trials are needed as a group of 15 people is too small to draw statistically significant conclusions, she said.

At the forum, ex-Nominated Member of Parliament Kanwaljit Soin urged countries with ageing populations to rethink the role of older people and retirement.

Countries have "people living longer, not ageing societies", she said. Having people retire at 65 "is one of the biggest brain drains we have", she said, adding that the cost of a population ageing can be offset by longer working lives.

Mr David Lane, from an architectural firm in Australia, asked whether caregivers are giving seniors what they want, or just providing security and health-care.

He said the difference between an institution and a homely environment is residents' ability to make decisions. Do the elderly just eat what is put before them, or can they choose from a menu - even just three choices - and eat when they want to, he asked.

salma@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 4 in The Straits Times.

Overweight Americans who pick diet drinks eat more food: study

BY SUSAN HEAVEY

WASHINGTON Thu Jan 16, 2014 4:40pm EST

An overweight woman sits on a chair in Times Square in New York, May 8, 2012.

CREDIT: REUTERS/LUCAS JACKSON

(Reuters) - Heavy Americans who drink diet beverages rather than those sweetened with sugar appear to eat more, according to a study released on Thursday that raised questions about the role lower-calorie drinks play in helping people lose weight.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed data from a U.S. survey of 24,000 people over a period of 10 years. People who were overweight or obese generally consumed the same amount of calories a day no matter what they drank, but those who chose diet drinks got more of those calories from food.

Outside experts were quick to caution that it is not clear what role, if any, diet drinks such as low- or no-calorie versions of sodas, sports drinks and teas played for people who ate more.

In the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, overweight drinkers of diet beverages in the United States ate 1,965 in food calories a day compared to 1,874 calories among heavy people who drank regular sugar-sweetened beverages.

Among obese diet beverage drinkers, those who consumed low- or no-calorie drinks ate 2,058 calories a day in food versus 1,897 food calories for those who had regular drinks, researchers said.

Such differences were statistically significant, they added.

Lead author Sara Bleich said the results, when paired with other research, suggest that artificial sweeteners may affect people's metabolism or cravings, although more study is needed.

She acknowledged that people could be deciding to eat more since they are saving calories with their diet drinks.

"The push to diet soda may not make a lot of sense if you are then also eating more solid food," Bleich said. "The switch from a sugary beverage to a diet beverage should be coupled with other changes in the diet, particularly reducing snacks."

Critics said the analysis, based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey between 1999 and 2010, is flawed and that it is too early to say what, if any, role the low-calorie drinks or their artificial sweeteners play in weight loss.

Several researchers noted that the study did not track a set group of people over time and only looked at a 24-hour snapshot of what any individual consumed.

The beverage industry, which has long promoted diet drinks as an alternative to full-calorie beverages, defended such alternatives to help manage weight.

"Losing or maintaining weight comes down to balancing the total calories consumed with those burned through physical activity," the American Beverage Association said in a statement on Thursday.

Low- or no-calories drinks contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose. Many beverage companies are also turning to other alternatives, such as the extract of Stevia.

Kelly Brownell, a professor psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and dean of its Sanford School of Public Policy, said while the study was compelling and there are still many questions about such sweeteners, more data is needed.

"People need to separate the biology from the psychology," he said.

Bonnie Liebman, the director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said while her group may have other questions about artificial sweeteners, "it's premature to conclude that it's something going on in your brain."

In the meantime there are other ways to watch your weight, she said: "You're much better off with water - or coffee or tea, if they're unsweetened."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by David Gregorio)

Training Justin Ang from Muttons on the Move

Justin took up a 1 month weight loss challenge. Apart from engaging the professional advice of a nutritionist, he came to me for some fitness advice so that he could take a holistic approach to losing weight. 

First up was a live radio interview on 98.7. There were neither scripts nor pre-interview questions so I had no idea what was in for me, everything was impromptu and honestly, quite interesting. 

I cannot emphasize how important it is to look at a long term fitness program instead of a quick weight-loss fix (aka crash diets). A person can lose a huge amount of "weight" by going on a crash diet but will most likely not lose too much fats. The danger with crash diets is that you may likely gain back more weight than you had lost.  

Catch the live radio interview in 2 parts below!

Radio interview with the muttons, dishing tips and advice on fitness (aired on 25 September '13)

The next day after the radio show, we did filming in the gym. As it was the first (and only) session I had with him, I put him through some simple exercises comprising of 3 aspects of fitness I mentioned on-air.

Training session following the radio interview, putting Justin Ang through some exercises (filmed on 26 September '13)

My assessment of Justin

As expected, Justin had tight muscles expected of someone who tend to sit long hours at one go. His cardiovascular endurance needed to be improved. Muscular strength wise, he is average, but I expected a little more.

Overall, Justin has the body structure of a endomorph-mesomorph (soft and round body, gains fat easily, gains muscle easily, slow metabolism). If he decides to change his lifestyle and do some serious training, he has the potential to achieve a nice and fit body.