Weight Loss Program in Los Angles

NCRPO chief supervises officers’ fitness exams

The chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Monday said he will personally supervise the conduct of the 2010 First Semester Graded Physical Fitness (GPFT) of all Police Commissioned Officers assigned in Metro Manila.

NCRPO chief Roberto Rosales said he wanted to personally supervise the GPFT to emphasize his resolve to ensure that every NCRPO police is physically fit to keep up with the rigors of police work.

He explained that the GPFT is composed of sets of physical exercise like pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, 100-meter dash and road run (1, 2, or 3 kilometer run, depending on the age of the performer) which were established to provide minimum standards on the amount of physical activities that a policeman must pass to be considered fit and able for active police work.

The NCRPO chief explained that the activities included in the GPFT approximate some of the strenuous circumstances a policeman would face on a daily basis such as running after a fleeing felon, pounding an eight-hour patrol beat, conducting reconnaissance in rugged terrains, or taking part in quelling a mob during a Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) operation.

Rosales said that all Police Commissioned Officers or those with rank from Police Inspector to Police Senior Superintendent will take the GPFT at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City starting Tuesday and will last up to June 2, 2010.

He said the rest of the Police Non-Commissioned Officers will take the test in their respective police Districts and came out with a directive that teams of GPFT facilitators will be sent from another Police district to supervise the performance of every policeman so as to avoid familiarity with the supervisors and remove speculations that some are lax in implementing the set standard.

It was learned that during the last 2009 second semester GPFT in NCRPO, from the total personnel strength of 15,010 policemen, 13,022 (86.76%) had undertaken the test and from those who took the exam, 12,668 (97.3%) passed while 218 (1.67%) failed.

For more information please visit:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/258837/ncrpo-chief-supervises-officers-fitness-exams

A handful of pistachios keeps heart doc away

A diet containing nuts, including pistachios, can significantly lower total and LDL-cholesterol levels, in addition to triglycerides, according to a new study.

Published in Archives of Internal Medicine, the 600-subject, 25 clinical trial study, conducted in seven counties, is the most comprehensive study of its kind and further substantiates the evidence that nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The report, authored by Dr. Joan Sabaté of Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health, and funded by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation, set out to quantify the cholesterol-reducing benefits of various nuts, such as pistachios, by analyzing previously published human clinical trials.

To reach the conclusion, the authors reviewed the results of 25 human clinical trials published from 1992 through 2007. The analysis included data from 583 men and women, aged 19 to 86 years old. Among the studies, nut consumption ranged from less than one ounce to 4.75 ounces per day. The average daily intake for the meta-analysis was 67 grams per day or 2.4 ounces.

The results found that when 67 grams of nuts were consumed, triglycerides were reduced by 10.2 per cent among those with high triglyceride levels at the onset of the study; and total and LDL-cholesterol were lowered by 5.1 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively. Individuals with higher baseline LDL-cholesterol levels also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels compared to those with normal baseline LDL levels. Subjects following a typical Western-diet also experienced a greater reduction in total and LDL-cholesterol levels (-7.4 percent and - 9.6 per cent, respectively) compared to a low-fat (-4.1 per cent and -6.0 per cent, respectively) or a Mediterranean diet (-4.1 per cent and -6.0 per cent, respectively).

“Enjoying a handful or two of in-shell pistachios may provide significant heart health benefits,” said Martin Yadrick, M.B.A., R.D., immediate past-president of the American Dietetic Association. “They are known to also improve blood vessel function, blood sugar control, act as potent antioxidant and offer weight management benefits, all of which are important for improving heart health.”

Source:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Life/Health-Fitness/Health/A-handful-of-pistachios-keeps-heart-doc-away/articleshow/5943851.cms

Improved cholesterol and blood pressure levels reduce heart attack risk

A drop in the rate of deaths due to coronary heart disease (CHD) by 35 percent has been witnessed in Ontario between 1994 and 2005, a new research has revealed. The reduction in the death rate has been attributed to improvements in both lifestyle factors and medical treatments.

The study published in the May 12 issue of JAMA, shows that both improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels and new medical and surgical treatments have contributed towards the reduction in the rates of death due to heart disease.

Harindra C Wijeysundera, of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada and his colleagues, the researchers and authors of this study stated that coronary heart disease continues to remain the most common cause of death worldwide. However, the death rates have reduced over the last three decades to a large extent. Recognizing the underlying causes associated with this decline is necessary for planning future health policies and prioritizing strategies for primary and secondary prevention.

For more information please visit:

http://www.bolohealth.com/news/2855-improved-cholesterol-and-blood-pressure-levels-reduce-heart-attack-risk

The best diets to reduce weight

A perennial topic of debate is the right diet for losing weight. Many different approaches have been popularized over the years, each with its adherents. In particular, there has been an ongoing battle between the Atkins diet and Dean Ornish's low fat approach, and between these two extremes the Mediterranean diet has straddled a seemingly healthy middle ground.

Now it appears that there is enough evidence to indicate that no one diet is the 'best' for weight loss. A report last year by my colleague Dr Frank Sacks at the Harvard School of Public Health (the 'Pounds Lost' trial) found that the amount of weight lost was the same regardless of the ratio of protein, fat or carbohydrate in the diet.

This was one of the longest and most rigorous studies comparing a low-carb approach to a low-fat approach. They randomly assigned overweight adults to varying ratios of nutrients. The participants were offered instructional sessions for 2 years. At 6 months, participants assigned to each diet had lost an average of 6 kg, but then they began to regain weight after 12 months. By 2 years, weight loss was the same regardless of protein, fat, or carbohydrate ratios.

What they found is that cutting calories is the basic element to weight-loss success. Satiety, hunger, satisfaction with the diet, and attendance at group sessions were similar for all 4 diets. The diets all improved lipid-related risk factors and fasting insulin levels.

Interestingly, attendance at group sessions was strongly associated with weight loss, adding more evidence that our social nature needs to be mobilized in the service of our health.

In the end, these results con-firm the basic laws of physics. Energy intake, if not burned, will lead to weight gain. A few tips: It does appear that exercise in modest amounts can help curb the appetite just enough to help.

For more information please visit:

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/96861/Lifestyle/The+best+diets+for+weight+loss.html

The skinny on weight loss in children

CHILDREN usually gain weight faster in their earlier years than any other time in their life, but there are some babies who fail to gain weight at a normal rate or who lose weight rapidly for no apparent reason. There are varying reasons for slow weight gain in children. According to paediatrician Dr Lisa Franklin, these reasons can vary from medical to social in nature.

"When I think of low weight gain, how I would approach it, is looking at a child who is one, not getting enough calories; two, the child who is getting enough calories, but for some reason he or she is not absorbing those calories; or three, the child who is requiring more than the usual amount of calories," she said.

Franklin also noted that in some cases, babies do not get enough calories because they are not being fed properly.

"For some reasons, mommy is breastfeeding and there are some issues with breastfeeding," she said. "Maybe the child is not sucking properly, maybe the child is having a problem that is causing him/her not to suck properly [and] if the child is being formula fed, the formula might not be prepared correctly."

In addition to this, the paediatrician explains that there are some medical conditions that would prevent the child from getting the correct quantity of feeding. This occurs, for example, when the child may have a cleft lip or a cleft palate.

"There might also be some children who have milk protein intolerance, so they may be vomiting and that sort of stuff. So you can think about illnesses that may affect the way calories are absorbed; one example is cystic fibrosis -- not common here -- but you have to think about it," she said, adding that a child with a congenital heart condition or gastro oesophagus reflux usually requires more calories than the average child.

Children who do not consume the right amount of nutrients usually suffer from slow weight gain. The paediatrician explains that in some cases poverty prevents parents from giving their children food with the right amount of nutritional content, while in other cases children might refuse to eat foods that are nutritious for them.

For more information please visit:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/allwoman/The-skinny-on-weight-loss-in-children_7588665