My Science School

The results of a study published in August in the Journal of the American Heart Association states that eating nutritious, plant-based foods is beneficial to the heart at any age. The study showed that those who ate more healthy plant foods had fewer heart attacks and were also less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases.

Observational study

For this study, the researchers looked at long-term consumption of plant-based foods and the impact of switching to a plant-centred diet in young adulthood. The researchers examined diet and prevalence of heart disease among those enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults.

The participants numbering close to 5,000, belonged to the 18-30 age group at the time of enrolment in 1985-86 and were free of cardiovascular diseases at that time. Between 1987 and 2016, these adults took eight follow-up exams that included lab tests, physical measurements, lifestyle assessments, and medical histories.

Unbiased data

As the results of these tests were not revealed to the participants and they weren't instructed to eat in any particular way either, the researchers had unbiased data that reflected habitual long-term diets. The food groups were classified into beneficial foods (including fruits and vegetables), adverse foods (think junk foods and soft drinks) and neutral foods (refined grains, lean meats).

After considering several factors such as age, sex educational background, and calorie consumption, it was found that people who ate the most nutritionally rich plant foods and very little adverse foods were 52% less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases.

The research also pointed out that even switching to a plant-centred diet led to lesser risk in terms of cardiovascular diseases.

As this study is observational, it cannot be used to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the diet and heart disease. The research, however, does suggest that a nutritionally rich plant-centred disease is definitely good for the heart. And since it also shows that including more plant-based foods has its benefits, it might be a good idea to start taking more vegetables and fruits whenever you can.

Picture Credit : Google

Hobbies are our best friends. We pursue them when we have either nothing to do or are tired from the day's work. While some hobbies merely help us to kill time, there are other hobbies that improve the quality of our life. Swimming is one such hobby.

There are more benefits to swimming than simply cooling off on a hot day. Swimming is one of the best exercises that benefit our entire body. The more we learn about swimming the more we will want to add it to our list of favourite hobbies. It is a great, year-round hobby and takes very little gear to get started.

Swimming not only burns calories, but is easy on the joints, supports our weight, builds our muscular strength and endurance. The other health benefits of swimming are that it keeps our heart rate up and takes some of the stress off our body. The most beautiful aspect of swimming is that we can set our own pace fast as we like go as otherwise just take slow laps in the pool. Swimming uses all the muscles in the body - SO whether it is a gentle breaststroke or hammer butterfly, we get a full body workout.

Swimming is perfect for our mental health as well. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, swimming for just 2.5 hours per week decreases the risk of chronic illness. By toning and developing a wide range of muscles, swimming helps prevent the injuries that can occur in youth who specialize in a sport from a younger age.

But swimming for beginners can be challenging if you don't know what to do in the pool. Hence, it's extremely important to start swimming by using a beginners' guide and including all the safety measures. It is essential to find the right pool and take proper swimming lessons and not try out anything on your own. The best way to pursue swimming as a hobby is to join a swimming club. To get started, one can begin with just the swim workouts.

Swimming was one of the eight sports practised at the first Paralympic Games in 1960, and has now become most popular. Swimming has been part of the Olympic schedule since the very first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. New additions to the Games programme for Olympics 2020 in Japan are men's 800m freestyle, women's 1,500m freestyle, and the exciting mixed 4x100m medley relay. The competition (excluding marathon swimming) will take place from 24 July to 1 August 2021. Swimming world champion Ariarne Titmus will be in one of the most-anticipated races of the Tokyo Olympics.

Credit : Jubliee cradozo (The Teenager Today)

Picture Credit : Google