Taking part in muscle-building exercises of between 30 minutes and an hour a week reduces the risk of premature death, a study has found.
Activities such as lifting weights; working with resistance bands; push-ups, sit-ups, and squats; and heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling, are linked to a 10-20 per cent lower risk of death from all causes, and from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer in particular, according to the research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Previous research indicates that muscle strengthening activity is associated with a lower risk of death, but it was not known what the optimal “dose” might be.
There was no conclusive evidence that more than an hour a week of muscle strengthening activity reduces the risk further still.
But researchers said that people reap the most benefits when they participate in aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening activities.
According to UK physical activity guidelines, muscle-strengthening activities can include carrying heavy shopping bags, yoga, Pilates, Tai chi, lifting weights, working with resistance bands, doing exercises that use your own body weight such as push-ups and sit-ups, heavy gardening such as digging and shovelling, pushing a wheelchair or lifting and carrying children.
It is recommended that adults do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups at least two days a week as well as taking part in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week.
In the latest study experts from Japan conducted a review of 16 studies which examined the effect muscle-strengthening exercises had on the risk of death and major diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and diabetes.
The team found that muscle-strengthening activities were linked to:
· a 15 per cent lower risk of death during the follow-up period of the studies included in the analysis.
· a 17 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
· a 12 per cent lower risk of cancer.
· A 17 per cent lower incidence of diabetes.
· But associations were not seen with some specific cancers, such as bowel cancer, kidney, bladder and pancreatic cancers.
The researchers found that the “maximum” benefit for protection against early death as well as some of these major diseases was seen when people participated in 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity every week.
Further analysis found that greater benefit was achieved when people took part in both muscle-strengthening and aerobic activity such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling.
The authors of the study wrote: “Muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 10—17 per cent lower risk of CVD, total cancer, diabetes, lung cancer and all-cause mortality independent of aerobic activities among adults.
“The maximum risk reduction for all-cause mortality, CVD and total cancer was obtained at approximately 30—60 minutes/week of muscle-strengthening activities, and the risk of diabetes sharply decreased with 60 minutes/week of muscle-strengthening activities, followed by a gradual decrease.”
They added: “Combined muscle-strengthening and aerobic activities were associated with a lower risk of all-cause, CVD and total cancer mortality.”
Celebrities speak out about cancer — in pictures
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Lexus LX700h specs
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