Dimensions of wellness
This is the time of the year
corporations encourage its employees for fitness tests and offer incentives for
the same. It is a win-win. The providers of these tests compute a numerical
value for the wellness based on several questions and the results from the
blood work. I recently filled one such questionnaire and was surprised to note physical wellness formed only a portion
of the evaluation. Others being social
wellness, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness, environmental wellness, occupational and intellectual wellness. I found an acrostic hiding in holistic
wellness-POESIES: the art of writing poems. Your wellness is a poem written by
you! The yoga sutras written by
Patanjali two thousand years ago seem to give us the words, grammar, voice,
rhyme and rhythm. Is Samadhi the wellness of 21st century? Social
wellness (ability to connect and relate to people around you); emotional
wellness (ability to understand our self and cope with the challenges);
spiritual wellness (ability to establish peace and harmony in our lives); intellectual
wellness (ability to open up our mind for new ideas and experience and
translate them for the betterment of humankind) are my favorites among the
holistic wellness. I will save those for another occasion and focus on physical
wellness.
Heart health seems to be the major factor in our physical
health. American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Heart Association (AHA) have
some recommendations and guidelines: Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a
day, five days a week; or, do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3
days a week and combine those with eight to 10 strength-training
exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise, twice a week. Moderate-intensity
physical activity means working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break
a sweat, still able to carry on a conversation. These recommendations are for
the average healthy adult to maintain health and reduce the risk for chronic
disease. In 2014, European Journal
of Preventive Cardiology reported that practicing yoga had the same effect on
improving cardiovascular markers (LDL, HDL, triglycerides, total cholesterol,
BP) as other aerobic exercises. However yoga, still, does not count towards
physical activity requirements of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic
activity per week. This may be due to the various levels of exertions in the
yoga classes (from very slow and mild to highly aerobic) offered.
Our food habits, indeed, influence cardiac
health. Reduce red meat; avoid egg yolk; eat food rich in fibers (at least 35
grams per day) and reduce alcohol consumption. Soluble fibers combine with bile acids and take it out of the system. The
body is forced to produce more bile acid from cholesterol and cholesterol level
goes down. Fermentation of fiber
produces propionic acid which inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme required for
the production of cholesterol. Inhibition of this enzyme reduces cholesterol
level. This is somewhat similar to the action of cholesterol lowering drugs,
statins. In addition, fibers maintain colon integrity and bowl regularity.
Few years ago
one of my friends introduced a recipe made of avocado, jalapeno, onion, garlic
and tomato. According to her, the preparation reduced the cholesterol level of
her husband significantly. Science support the beneficial effects of this
guacamole to reduce total cholesterol and LDL; and increase the level of HDL
·
Avocado has number of vitamins, minerals and
phytonutrients. These ingredients get absorbed better by human body in avocado medium.
Avocado has Vit-B3 (Niacin), which in pharmacological doses has proven to
reduce total blood cholesterol and LDL. It's a good source for mono and poly
unsaturated fatty acids.
·
One of the ingredients in garlic is a hypolipidemic
compound- allicin. It's produced immediately on crushing fresh garlic cloves
and is an unstable compound. Being very unstable, allicin is not present in
cooked garlic. It's possible that the hypolipidemic effect is from allicin;
while avocado enhances it.
·
This guacamole also contains capsaicin - the chemical
giving heat to jalapeno. This is an anti-inflammatory compound. Studies have
shown that capsaicin can reduce the risk of arrhythmia (irregular heart
rhythm).
There are several supplements in the market
that claim to control the cholesterol level. One such supplement that caught my
attention was red yeast rice. According to a study published in American Journal of Cardiology, red
yeast supplements reduced LDL cholesterol by 21%. It's a good alternative to
lowering LDL for people who are intolerant (muscle pain, lethargy, gastro-intestinal
intolerance) to statins. The whole research and development
of statins started with the red yeast rice. One of the many
reasons men who take statins mention for their inability to get onto
treadmill or elliptical is lethargy - lack of energy or enthusiasm to exercise. The
explanation generally is: "I am getting old." There is some
truth in it. Research shows statins interfere with the production of energy in
the body. The pathway statins block hinders ATP - energy currency- production
too. What does that mean? Lethargy. Lethargy, low exercise, inflammation,
further reduction in exercise, and more inflammation. It is a spiraling
effect. Talk to your physician if you have symptoms of these secondary effects.
Inhabitants of Southwest France have high life expectancy
even though they consume copious amounts of foie gras (dish made from super-fattened
duck or goose) and confit de canard (dish from duck leg poached with
fat). Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease is very low in them. The consumption
of red wine by the French is attributed for this paradox. Red wine
has been under scrutiny for some time. In several studies, scientists found red
wine reduced total cholesterol and increased HDL by 16%. In 2005, scientists
from Denmark came to a conclusion that all beneficial effects of wine came
from its alcohol content (British Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005). I
was skeptical. There should be something more than just high calorie
alcohol.Red wine has plenty of anthocyanins (purple, red , pink pigments) A
glance through literature will reveal antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory
and anticancer properties of these pigments. In a 2009 study (American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition) the pigments in red wine was found to increase HDL by 13.8% and decreased LDL by 13.5%. According to the data
benefits are due to the inhibition of a protein, CETP (Cholesteryl Ester
Transfer Protein). Anthocyanins stop the cholesterol "trafficker"
maintaining a healthy HDL/LDL balance. Putting the puzzle together, moderate
consumption of red wine seems
to be beneficial for cholesterol management.
Wish you all a healthy
heart!
Jay.
