The Prime Minister recently paid a visit to the site of the various sports venues being readied for the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara.
Speaking during his brief visit to the venues, the Prime Minister said Solomon Islanders have the talents in all the sports that will be played during the 2023 Pacific Games and that a dedicated sports development program will harness and sharpen the skills of local athletes to be competitive.
Not wishing to detract from the words and optimism of the PM for the success of local athletes during the Pacific Games, I would add that primary health care and attention to diet must play an important role by all athletes preparing for the forthcoming sporting events.
Some health advice I would like to share I feel is important, and not just in the run-up to the Pacific Games, and I will quote the details.
Quote.
There are promising studies showing that dietary restriction, including caloric restriction and intermittent fasting, may extend healthy lifespans and delay diseases and ageing. It does this by priming senescent cells for cellular recycling, which in the end can improve the function of ageing tissues.
During the fasting process, cells undergo an adaptive stress response that may account for its numerous health benefits.
Intermittent fasting improves markers of oxidative stress which is a measure of longevity.
By adapting to this way of eating, it has been shown to protect against many age-related diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The fasting process puts a person's cells in a protective state and activates the bodies healing process.
Fasting helps to give the digestive system its much needed rest thus boosting energy levels.
Thus, alternating between fasting and eating improves cellular health.
Lowers diabetes risk
Researchers from the University of Alabama conducted a study with a small group of obese men with prediabetes.
They compared a form of intermittent fasting called "early time-restricted feeding," where all meals were fit into an early eight-hour period of the day or spread out over the day.
Both groups maintained their weight but after five weeks, the eight-hour group had dramatically lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as well as significantly lower blood pressure.
Interestingly, the eight-hours group also had significantly decreased appetite and were not hungry.
In a review of past animal and human studies in The New England Journal of Medicine recommend adopting a way of eating known as intermittent fasting which can help reduce blood pressure, aid in weight loss and improve longevity.
Alternating between fasting and eating can help to improve cellular health.
Professor Mark Mattson from John Hopkins University said the way of eating can help to trigger a metabolic switch.
In metabolic switching, cells use up their fuel stores and convert fat to energy this in turns helps fat to switch from fat-storing to fat-saving and has many health benefits.
Professor Mattson says studies have shown that this switch improves blood sugar regulation, increases resistance to stress and suppresses inflammation.
The professor notes that four studies in both animals and people found intermittent fasting also helped to decrease blood pressure, blood lipid levels and resting heart rates.
Preliminary studies suggest that intermittent fasting could benefit brain health too.
A clinical trial at the University of Toronto found that 220 healthy adults who maintained a calorie restricted diet for two years showed signs of improved memory in a battery of cognitive tests.
End of quote.
Source: UK Daily Mail
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
