Girls………..The underrated angels

          It is 7^th of June 2018. A heart breaking news of this morning showing a woman who came in a car and literally threw a 2 days old baby girl (probably of her own) on the road and rushed away, is being shown on TV.(1) After that, I am feeling guilty of being a part of this so called rapidly developing society. I now can deeply feel the need of discussing, what Indian girls really are & what they are capable of. Please forgive me if I appear intense at some places & please be patient, I have a lot to say.

          India is a highly populous country with approximately 1.2 billion of population as per 2011 census data. Around 943 females are there per every 1000 males while only 919 female children (0-6 years) per 1000 male children.(2) The biggest matter of shame is this female child sex ratio has continually decreased since independence with 976 in 1961, 964 in 1971,962 in 1981, 943 in 1991, 927 in 2001 & 919 in 2011.(2)

         This trend clearly indicates the rapidly deteriorating moral values &  mental status of the society of so called largest democracy of the world. Various reasons are attributed to this devastating decline in child sex ratio, such as neglect of the girl child, high maternal mortality, female infanticide (killing of very young girl child) and most recently growing female feticide (killing of unborn female child). Various diagnostic procedures like amniocentesis, ultrasonography etc. are misused to determine the sex of the fetus (unborn child) and facilitate this selective female genocide. (3) Only for these reasons India is ranked at 108 out of 144 countries  in Global Gender Gap Index 2017 in which India’s position was 141(one among last 4) in health & survival and 139(one among last 6) in Economic Participation and Opportunities for Women parameters.(4)

          While the perception of incapability, inferiority & lack of independent existence of female gender is growing every day in the minds of many under educated fools, the Indian women have continuously shown their might in almost every field of human achievements. To cite few of recent examples, girls pass rate in 2018 CBSC 10^th exam was 88.67% as compared to 85.32% of that of boys in which 3 out of four toppers securing 499 marks from 500 were girls.(5–7) Similar scenario was found in CBSC 12^th 2018 results where 88.31% girls passed as compared to 78.99 % of boys. Interestingly the top three spots were also clinched by girls only.(8) Similarly girls have snatched the topper rank in NEET 2018, 3% higher pass rate in ISC & CHSE +2 science exam and the never ending list of higher ability & credibility goes on.(9–11) Be it the case of Indiara Gandhi in politics, Kiran bedi  in police services, Kalpana Chawla in space missions, Sarla Thakral in aviation, or Bachendri Pal to climb Everest, the modern Indian women have demonstrated their unmatched potential in almost every field.(12) Not only in modern times, women have a golden track in Indian History too. Only the names of Ghosha, Lopamudra, Maitreyi, Gargi etc. of ancient India & Mother Teresa, Rani Lakshmibai, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and a similar never ending list of Indian women achievers,  are enough to explain the contribution of women in making India prosporus time and again.(13–15)

          But a woman can never be judged only by her social or professional activities as this is just a small fragment of her overall capabilities. In her all forms like mother, sister, wife, daughter, grandmother etc. she keeps on doing all house hold works, boosts confidence & stability of others, supports morally as well as emotionally, understands every ones needs, feelings, pains, disturbances and always is the quickest to help. She gives birth, nurtures, protects, teaches, sacrifices, tolerates or in short creates human beings and still we wonder, where is God who have created us. I am not eligible enough to explain what a woman really does for us.

          Those who argue, Indian culture is male dominated and women have always been underrated, please read history carefully. Even in Hindu mythology, maa Durga or Aadisakti who is the mother of the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh) is treated as the most ancient, respected & powerful of all Gods & Goddesses.  Be it Draupadi of Mahabharata or Sita of Ramayana, men have never hesitated to fight & die for their women’s dignity. Even in the golden era of Indian history, women have played the key roles for India’s prosperity & men have always protected them, even at the cost of wars like raajputs, marathas etc. Perhaps this history has been transmitted as genetic memories in all our DNAs for which we still can feel the spontaneous flow of love & respect in presence of our women, although the culture is corrupted. After all, without women we would not have even existed at first place.

           Still in present day, in place of being grateful, we are misbehaving, assaulting, humiliating, harassing & even killing them before being borne. Although having greater abilities and potential, women constitute only 38% of health care professionals, 26% of MBA applicants, 11% of engineers, 10% of judges, 11% of MPs & 9% of MLAs  in our country.(16–20)  I believe that the problem lies at all levels, whether its blind belief of parents, or traditional myths & cultural misinterpretations of the society, lack of proper policies of governments or improper presentation of women by media, everything is to blame. The time is coming, when women will grab their rightful position in the society even if they have to leave their most adorable feminine traits behind. To protect the beauty of our age old culture & tradition, we must act promptly to preserve the dignity of our Indian women and before rejecting them, we must ask ourselves, do we even deserve them…..think again!!!

Further reading:

1.       Breaking 20-20: Watch top 20 news of the morning [Internet]. Zee News. 2018 [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: http://zeenews.india.com/video/india/breaking-20-20-watch-top-20-news-of-the-morning-2114450.html

2.       Chapter-1.pdf [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/India/Chapter-1.pdf

3.       Declining sex-ratios – a matter of concern | UNICEF [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: http://www.unicef.in/Story/1129/Declining-sex-ratios-a-matter-of-concern

4.       Global Gender Gap Index 2017: India ranks 108th [Internet]. Current Affairs Today. 2017 [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/global-gender-gap-index-2017-india-ranks-108th-11201749666.html

5.       CBSE Exam Results 2018 [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: http://cbseresults.nic.in/

6.       CBSE 10th result 2018: CBSE Class 10 results declared; 86.70% pass - Times of India ► [Internet]. The Times of India. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/cbse-10th-result-cbse-class-10-results-2018-declared-live-updates/articleshow/64366889.cms

7.       Livemint. CBSE 10th result 2018: Class 10 results decline for 2nd consecutive year, 86.70% pass [Internet]. https://www.livemint.com/. 2018 [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://www.livemint.com/Education/hgwcvIC4Vq9KeWIy6AdD5K/CBSE-10th-result-2018-declared-at-cbsenicin-pass-percenta.html

8.       IndiaToday.in, Delhi N, May 26 2018, Ist U 13:50, Follow, Author E, et al. All categories’ pass percentages for CBSE class 12 results 2018 [Internet]. India Today. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/pass-percentage-cbse-class-12-results-2018-1242230-2018-05-26

9.       NEET Result 2018 Declared At Cbseneet.nic.in, Cbseresults.nic.in: Live Updates [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://www.ndtv.com/education/neet-result-2018-live-updates-1861968

10.     ICSE, ISC Board Result 2018 declared @ cisce.org; girls outshine boys - Times of India [Internet]. The Times of India. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/icse-isc-board-result-2018-to-be-declared-shortly-cisce-org-live-updates/articleshow/64157565.cms

11.      CHSE Odisha Result 2018: Girls outshine boys in plus two science exam - Times of India [Internet]. The Times of India. [cited 2018 Jun 7]. Available from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/chse-odisha-result-2018-girls-outshine-boys-in-plus-two-science-exam/articleshow/64232574.cms

12.     Vartak P. Women’s Day 2018: A Historical List of First Women in All Fields in India [Internet]. Free Press Journal. 2018 [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: http://www.freepressjournal.in/featured-blog/womens-day-2017-a-historical-list-of-first-women-in-all-fields-in-india/1029741

13.     40 Greatest Women From Indian History [Internet]. Owlcation. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Greatest-Indian-Women-From-History

14.     Subudhi R. 7 Trailblazing Women In Indian History [Internet]. Culture Trip. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/7-trailblazing-women-in-indian-history/

15.     Das S. Read About the Famous Female Figures of Vedic India [Internet]. ThoughtCo. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-female-figures-of-vedic-india-1770399

16.     Women in Engineering Statistics - January 2018 - created by Sarah Peers_0.pdf [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://www.wes.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-01/Women%20in%20Engineering%20Statistics%20-%20January%202018%20-%20created%20by%20Sarah%20Peers_0.pdf

17.     Economic Survey 2018: Women’s political participation in India low, need more - The Financial Express [Internet]. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://www.financialexpress.com/budget/economic-survey-2018-womens-political-participation-in-india-low-need-more/1035109/

18.     Application Trends 2016: Regional Spotlight on India [Internet]. Graduate Management Admission Council. [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: http://www.gmac.com/market-intelligence-and-research/research-insights/application-trends/application-trends-2016-regional-spotlight-on-india.aspx

19.     IndiaSpend. Only 10% Women Judges In India’s Higher Courts [Internet]. Everylifecounts.NDTV.com. 2017 [cited 2018 Jun 8]. Available from: https://everylifecounts.ndtv.com/10-women-judges-indias-higher-courts-10423

20.     International Programme on Chemical Safety, editor. Diquat: health and safety guide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1991. 32 p. (Health and safety guide).

Muscle building: a scientific approach, Part-I(nutrition)

           A fit body is perhaps the first observable sign of good health. But fitness is not just about being physically healthy. Along with all the benefits of exercising(1), a lean body has numerous psychosocial benefits like confidence & personality building, social admiration, increase in self-esteem, and significant improvement in depression, anxiety, stress and other mood disorders, & help us improve our health in all aspects. (2) For achieving all these, there are numerous ways, one of them is work out or muscle building. But, there are many limitations in this way, such as fatigue due to strenuous exercise, boringness of routine life, difficulty in time management, lack of immediate results etc. to name few. But the solution to all these problems is motivation. And the best motivation is a good looking body in shortest possible time and in a healthier way, as “it’s not about doing it more but is all about doing it right.” What’s that “right”, lets discuss.

            There are many literatures and websites explaining schedules, routines, regimens, diet plans etc. But I didn’t found any systematic and wholesome approach as most of them are patchy and biased. As a well-known fact, any fitness regimen depends mostly on two determinants, nutrition & exercise. But there are other small yet vital factors too, which are largely ignored although having significant impact on the outcome. Let’s talk one by one

1.     Nutrition:

Protein: It’s obvious that protein is the most important nutrition for muscle building. The dietary recommendations in a nutshell are

·         Protein supplementation of around 1.3 to 1.8 or 2 g/kg/day & 20-40g per serving appears to be best for most people.(3,4)

·         Few studies suggest, protein intake more than 1.6g/kg/day does not contribute further to resistance exercise training (RET) induced gain in fat-free mass (FFM), however higher amount(2-3g/kg/day).(5,6)

Selection of proteins:

·         Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) & protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) are a couple of scientific methods for calculating protein quality.(7)

·         Between ‘whey’ and other proteins, ‘whey’ has advantage of rapid digestibility & greater postprandial response in muscle protein synthesis with higher content of leucine (12.5% of total protein). Hence whey is considered superior to casein, soy & rice proteins.(8)

·         Overall the best benefit of protein can be extracted by adding other vital nutrients like creatine, multi vitamins with vitamin D, calcium, Ω-3 PUFA with DHA & ARA etc.(9)

·         Consuming total daily protein in 3-4 similarly divided doses or 3-4 hours apart throughout the day along with regular resistant exercise gives best results & beneficial effect of maximum protein intake in or around a training session appears to be a myth.(4,10,11)

Carbohydrates: carbs are usually considered to be bad for fitness, but against the common beliefs, a high carb diet is a must for any person involved in rigorous physical activities like bodybuilding.

·         Carbohydrate loading aims to maximize an athlete’s muscle glycogen stores prior to endurance exercise resulting in delayed onset of fatigue (approximately 20%) and improvement in performance of 2%–3%.(12)

·         carbohydrate intakes for strength sports, including bodybuilding, should be between 4–7 g/kg depending on the phase of training.(13)

·         but fat loss is improved with low carb and relatively high protein diet.(13)

·         in simple words: person with normal health aiming at increasing lean body mass like muscles should take high carb with other nutrients & people aiming at reducing body fat along with maintaining muscle mass should take low carb high protein diet.

·         Carbohydrate intake during exercise maintains high levels of carbohydrate oxidation, prevents hypoglycemia, and has a positive effect on the central nervous system. (14)

Fat: fat is most misunderstood and underrated nutrition for fitness although having significant contribution for good health & wellbeing.

·         Excess dietary saturated fat can exacerbate coronary artery disease while low-fat diets result in a reduction in circulating testosterone which has got high influence for muscle building. Hence optimizing fat intake is essential to get good results (15)

·         Usual recommended dietary allowance of fat for muscle builders is 15-20% of their total calorie requirement and for normal people it should be 20-30%. (13)

Other nutrients: for proper utilization of these nutrients along with optimization of body muscle building machinery, numerous supplements and micronutrients are recommended. Few are briefed here with recommendations & references.

·         Creatine: 2-3 g/day supplement of pure form of Creatine monohydrate (CM) can increase muscle creatine store by about 20% and results in increase in stamina and muscle gain without significant side effects.(16,17)

·         Beta-alanine(BA): a short term(1-4wks) course of around 5-7g of BA may be effective in exercise performance improvement. As the long term safety profile is not yet established, a long term use is not recommended at this stage.(18)

·         Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate(HMB): although the allowance recommendation is yet to be worked out, it has proven to be a potentially effective supplement with no adverse effects yet found. Rather HMB may actually decrease blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol.(19–22)

·         Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s): leucine(max 550mg/kg/day), valine and isoleucine supplementation have proven to increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis, decreases muscle protein degradation, or both. (23–25)

·         Caffeine: 5–6 mg/kg caffeine taken prior to exercise is effective in improving exercise performance. But, as 6mg/kg caffeine is considered as the upper limit for safety, the use of it should be cycled with intermittent gaps or avoided mostly.(26–29)

·         Micronutrients: vitamin D, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, DHA, ARA etc appear to be beneficial in muscle building and further studies are needed for establishing their effects and recommendations and safety profile.(13)

Although muscle building needs a multi-dimensional approach, nutrition remains the back-bone for achieving proper goals. In the present era of evidence based living, it appears to be most logical to determine every lifestyle intervention based on scientific facts for more productive outcomes. Take care, be healthy & keep smiling……..   

References:

1.         Zadro JR, Shirley D, Andrade TB, Scurrah KJ, Bauman A, Ferreira PH. The Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity: Is It Down to Your Genes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Twin and Family Studies. Sports Med - Open [Internet]. 2017 Jan 10 [cited 2018 Feb 1];3. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225201/

2.         Mikkelsen K, Stojanovska L, Polenakovic M, Bosevski M, Apostolopoulos V. Exercise and mental health. Maturitas. 2017 Dec 1;106:48–56.

3.         Phillips SM, Van Loon LJC. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-38.

4.         Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr [Internet]. 2017 Jun 20 [cited 2018 Feb 2];14. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5477153/

5.         Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Jul 11;

6.         Antonio J, Peacock CA, Ellerbroek A, Fromhoff B, Silver T. The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:19.

7.         Mathai JK, Liu Y, Stein HH. Values for digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) for some dairy and plant proteins may better describe protein quality than values calculated using the concept for protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS). Br J Nutr. 2017 Feb;117(4):490–9.

8.         Witard OC, Wardle SL, Macnaughton LS, Hodgson AB, Tipton KD. Protein Considerations for Optimising Skeletal Muscle Mass in Healthy Young and Older Adults. Nutrients [Internet]. 2016 Mar 23 [cited 2018 Feb 1];8(4). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848650/

9.         Bell KE, Snijders T, Zulyniak M, Kumbhare D, Parise G, Chabowski A, et al. A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE. 2017 Jul 18;12(7):e0181387.

10.       Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Krieger JW. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Dec 3;10:53.

11.       Pasiakos S, M McLellan T, R Lieberman H. The Effects of Protein Supplements on Muscle Mass, Strength, and Aerobic and Anaerobic Power in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review. Vol. 45. 2014.

12.       Beck KL, Thomson JS, Swift RJ, von Hurst PR. Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open Access J Sports Med. 2015 Aug 11;6:259–67.

13.       Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:20.

14.       Beck KL, Thomson JS, Swift RJ, von Hurst PR. Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open Access J Sports Med. 2015 Aug 11;6:259–67.

15.       Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med Auckl NZ. 2004;34(5):317–27.

16.       al HE et. Muscle creatine loading in men. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8828669/

17.       al KH et. Studies on the safety of creatine supplementation. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399917/

18.       The absorption of orally supplied beta-alanine and its effect on muscle carnosine synthesis in human vastus lateralis. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16554972/

19.       al EH et. Signaling pathways initiated by beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate to attenuate the depression of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle in response to... - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17609254/

20.       Rathmacher JA, Nissen S, Panton L, Clark RH, Eubanks May P, Barber AE, et al. Supplementation with a combination of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), arginine, and glutamine is safe and could improve hematological parameters. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2004 Apr;28(2):65–75.

21.       Nissen S, Sharp RL, Panton L, Vukovich M, Trappe S, Fuller JC. beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation in humans is safe and may decrease cardiovascular risk factors. J Nutr. 2000 Aug;130(8):1937–45.

22.       Smith HJ, Mukerji P, Tisdale MJ. Attenuation of proteasome-induced proteolysis in skeletal muscle by {beta}-hydroxy-{beta}-methylbutyrate in cancer-induced muscle loss. Cancer Res. 2005 Jan 1;65(1):277–83.

23.       Børsheim E, Tipton KD, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR. Essential amino acids and muscle protein recovery from resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Oct;283(4):E648-657.

24.       Biolo G, Tipton KD, Klein S, Wolfe RR. An abundant supply of amino acids enhances the metabolic effect of exercise on muscle protein. Am J Physiol. 1997 Jul;273(1 Pt 1):E122-129.

25.       Tipton KD, Wolfe RR. Protein and amino acids for athletes. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):65–79.

26.       Nawrot P, Jordan S, Eastwood J, Rotstein J, Hugenholtz A, Feeley M. Effects of caffeine on human health. Food Addit Contam. 2003 Jan;20(1):1–30.

27.       Ivy JL, Kammer L, Ding Z, Wang B, Bernard JR, Liao Y-H, et al. Improved cycling time-trial performance after ingestion of a caffeine energy drink. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009 Feb;19(1):61–78.

28.       Green JM, Wickwire PJ, McLester JR, Gendle S, Hudson G, Pritchett RC, et al. Effects of caffeine on repetitions to failure and ratings of perceived exertion during resistance training. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2007 Sep;2(3):250–9.

29.       Duncan MJ, Oxford SW. The effect of caffeine ingestion on mood state and bench press performance to failure. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jan;25(1):178–85.