Weekender Alicante South Issue 109

Facebook: @TheWeekenderSpain
FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019 25
Health&Lifestyle
How healthy is
a veggie diet?
VEGETARIAN and pescetarian
diets may be
linked to a lower risk of
coronary heart disease,
according to new scientific
research.
However, the study also
revealed that vegetarians
and vegans have a higher
risk of suffering a stroke
than meat eaters.
A large-scale study carried
out by a team from Oxford
University was published in
The BMJ.
It found that people who
follow the ‘veggie’ diets have
a 22 per lower risk of heart
disease than meat eaters,
while those who eat fish but
no meat saw the risk reduced
to 13 per cent.
But the researchers also
found that vegetarians and
vegans were a fifth more
likely to suffer a stroke than
meat eaters, which they suggest
may be partly down to a
lack of vitamins.
They also suggested that
low blood levels of total cholesterol
among vegetarians
and vegans may play a role
and called for further investigations
to be carried out.
The study included data for
48,188 people with no history
of heart disease or stroke
at the start of the research.
The group was split into
meat-eaters, fish-eaters who
consumed fish but no meat
and vegetarians and vegans.
Announcing its findings,
the research team said: “In
recent years, more and more
people have been turning to
vegetarian and vegan diets,
which is partly due to the
perceived health benefits,
as well as concerns about
the environment and animal
welfare. But the full extent
of the potential health benefits
and hazards of these
diets is not well understood.”
They added: “We observed
lower rates of ischaemic
heart disease in fish eaters
and vegetarians than in
meat eaters, which appears
to be at least partly due to
lower body mass index and
lower rates of high blood
pressure, high blood cholesterol,
diabetes associated
with these diets.”
In the UK alone there are
an estimated 1.7m vegetarians
and vegans. Reports
in 2017 revealed Spain was
home to the tenth highest
percentage of vegans in the
world.
Other reports say that in
that same year 7.8 per cent
of Spain’s adult population
were “veggie”.
Dr Tammy Tong, who led
the research, said that further
research was needed to
“replicate the results in other
populations” and it should include
further measurements
of nutritional factors.
Prof Mark Lawrence, of
Deakin University in Australia,
says that the study’s
stroke risk should aldo be
kept in perspective.
He said: “It is based on results
from just one study and
the increase is modest relative
to meat eaters.
“Relevance to vegetarians
worldwide must also be considered.
Participants were all
from the UK where dietary
patterns and other lifestyle
behaviours are likely very different
from those prevalent
in low and middle-income
countries where most of the
world’s vegetarians live.”
Current dietary guidelines
contain the most evidence
based advice available for
vegetarians, as well as for
fish and meat eaters.
They also recognise plant
based diets for their environmental
sustainability as
well as health benefits, he
added.
A show of strength
Muscle-strenghtening exercise
such as carrying
heavy shopping or doing
the garden should be carried
out at least twice a
week, according to new
official health guidelines.
The latest guidance from
the UK’s Chief Medical Officers
emphasises the importance
of building strength
and balance for adults, as
well as focusing on cardiovascular
exercise.
It says falls are the main
reason older people end up
in accident and emergency,
and could be avoided through
daily activities such as brisk
walking, carrying heavy
shopping, climbing stairs,
swimming and gardening.
And the health chiefs say
there is “strong evidence”
that physical activity protects
against a range of
chronic conditions. Meeting
the guidelines can reduce
the risk of type 2 diabetes by
40 per cent, coronary heart
disease by 35 per cent and
depression by 30 per cent.
The new guidelines are an
update to those released in
2011, but the overall message
remains the same:
“Any activity is better than
none, and more is better
still”.
Under the new guidelines,
adults are advised to
undertake strength-based
exercise at least two days a
week.
The experts say this can
help delay the natural decline
in muscle mass and
bone density that starts
from around age 50. It is
believed that this is a major
reason why older people
lose their ability to carry out
daily tasks.
Chief Medical Officer for
England, Professor Dame
Sally Davies, said: “Physical
activity is an under-appreciated
asset in our clinical arsenal.
It is cheap and brings
a long list of health benefits.
As we age, our muscles
weaken and we can become
stiff, leading to falls and difficulty
performing everyday
activities.
“Physical activity can prevent
fragility and support
mobility in old age. By keeping
active, both throughout
the day and also through
hobbies, we can slow muscle
and bone decline, ultimately
keeping us independent for
longer.”
The advice urges pregnant
women and new mothers
to do the same amount
of exercise as other adults,
and for babies to be given at
least 30 minutes of ‘tummy
time’ a day, which includes
semi-crawling and pulling
themselves.
And over-65s are being
encouraged to take up
bowls, dancing or tai chi – a
Chinese martial art – that
are less strenuous ways of
maintaining strength and
balance.
The previous guidelines
stated that adults should
do 150 minutes of exercise a
week, ideally in sessions of
at least ten minutes on most
days of the week.
The new advice is more
flexible and suggests that doing
one or two longer bursts
– such as at the weekend – is
just as beneficial.
According to reports,
the latest figures show
that only 62 per cent of
adults are meeting the existing
recommendations,
just 58 per cent of women
and 66 per cent of men.