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Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Gaining lean muscle mass

Tips for men who want to build muscle effectively and gain lean muscle mass

In order to grow your muscles, you must apply enough stress for them to become fatigued. — 123rf.com

For most males, hitting the gym is a way to get healthy, look good and feel more confident.

To get the most out of a workout session, a good understanding of health and nutrition can help maximise results.

However, if you were to ask most men what it takes to build muscle, they’d probably say that you just need to eat protein, protein and more protein.

Sure, protein is important.

After all, your muscles are made of protein, and your body requires adequate protein in the diet in order to have the building blocks it needs to build muscle mass.

But protein alone won’t do.

You also need to pay attention to the rest of your diet and exercise routine.

To help men start off on the right track, here are some tips on how to build muscle effectively.

Strike the right balance

A lot of people who are trying to bulk up are also trying to lose body fat at the same time.

But sometimes, the approaches they use to meet those goals are at odds with each other.

They’ll take in plenty of protein, which, when coupled with a strength training routine, should lead to more lean mass.

But they may also cut their total calories back too far in an effort to get “shredded.”

That can be a problem.

If you cut your calories too much, some of the protein that you eat is going to be burned for fuel rather than being used to support muscle development.

So, to effectively build muscle mass, you want to ensure that you have enough calories to support your activity and the right balance of nutrients.

Don’t shy away from healthy fats, as they are a vital structural component of every cell membrane, including muscle cells. — Photos: Herbalife Nutrition

Fuel up with carbohydrates

Many bodybuilders see carbohydrates as the enemy, and that can be a mistake.

Yes, highly refined carbohydrates and snacks hardly do the body good.

But the right carbohydrates help to fuel activity, including working muscles.

Good sources can be found in whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

Without adequate carbohydrates to fuel your exercise, some of the protein you’re eating might get burned for fuel.

So, to avoid “burning the candle at both ends,” make sure to include enough high-quality carbs in your diet.

Get some healthy fats

Dietary fat is sometimes underappreciated by some athletes. Like carbohydrates, fats may have an undeserved bad reputation.

Small amounts of the right kinds of fats are very important.

That’s because certain fatty acids, the building blocks of dietary fats, are essential as the body can’t make them.

Fatty acids are a vital structural component of every cell membrane, including muscle cells.

The body relies on fat to fuel moderate intensity, longer-term exercise.

That’s just the type of exercise that might be coupled with a strength training regimen to build mass and lose body fat.

Good sources of fatty acids include nuts. seeds, fatty fish, olive oil and avocado.

Protein intake and timing are key

Protein is crucial for muscle development, but instead of simply focusing on the amount of protein you take in, you should also pay attention to the timing of your intake.

The process of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is stimulated by strength training activity, but it’s also stimulated when you eat protein.

This is one reason why those looking to bulk up should aim to spread their protein intake evenly over meals and snacks throughout the day.

MPS is greater under these conditions than it is under a more typical pattern in which little protein is consumed in the morning, a bit more at lunch, and then a large amount at dinner.

And, a bedtime snack containing about 25g of protein can help to stimulate MPS during the night.

Both plant-based and animal- based protein sources provide the necessary building blocks for MPS, but different proteins are digested and absorbed at different rates, so taking in a variety of protein sources could allow a prolonged release of amino acids into the system.

For example, dairy products contain two proteins: whey and casein.

Whey is considered a “fast-acting” protein, while casein takes longer for the body to process.

It’s the reason why many athletes turn to dairy proteins since they provide a sustained release of amino acids over a longer period of time.

However, animal proteins aren’t necessary in order to build muscle.

With careful planning and attention to total intake, even vegetarians and vegans can consume enough protein to support muscle development.

A fruit and milk/soy smoothie or yoghurt is a good recovery food option after a strength training session.

Best diet tips

> How to spread your protein intake, and how often should you eat?

Ideally, you’ll want to time your eating so that it works with your workout, but also aim for three regular meals and a couple of snacks – making sure that they are balanced with both carbohydrates and protein.

That way, you can provide your body with the fuel it needs from the carbohydrate, as well as a steady supply of protein to stimulate MPS.

> What to eat before a workout?

You want to start your workout well-hydrated and well-fuelled.

For fluids, drink about two cups of water two to three hours beforehand, then have another cup about 15-20 minutes before.

The length of time between the time you eat your meal and the time you work out will dictate the type of meal you have:

If you have a few hours to digest, then a balanced breakfast that might include foods like eggs, yoghurt, whole-grain toast or cereals, milk/soy milk, and fruit would be appropriate.

If you’ll be eating fairly close to the time you work out, then something like a protein shake will take less time to digest.

Just be sure your shake includes not just protein but a source of carbohydrates, too.

So, in addition to a protein powder and/or milk or milk alternatives, include foods such as fruits and vegetables (such as carrots or sweet potato); you can even toss in some rolled oats.

> What to eat after a workout?

After you exercise, your muscles need some healthy carbohydrates and about 10-20g of high-quality protein to help them repair and recover.

A tub of yoghurt, a turkey or nut butter sandwich, a smoothie made with fruit and milk or soy milk, or a bowl of cereal and fruit are all good recovery foods after a session of strength training.

> What are good snacks in between meals?

Snacks should include the same healthy balance of protein and carbohydrates.

Some snack bars have a good balance of protein and carbohydrates and are convenient to carry with you.

Other quick snacks include a hard-boiled egg with whole grain crackers, yoghurt with fruit, or raw vegetables and hummus.

> How to gain muscle without putting on fat?

In order to build muscle, your body does require additional nutrients and calories, but that doesn’t give you licence to eat as much as you want.

If you take in more calories than you burn – whether from unhealthy, fatty, sugary foods or from a healthy well-balanced diet – those calories will get stored as body fat.

Choosing lean proteins, such as fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products, beans and tempeh, will help ensure that your body gets the protein it needs without excess calories.

Similarly, choose healthy carbohydrates – fruits, vegetables, whole grains – over sugars and refined starches, so you can reap the benefits without the extra calories.

Left: Muscle growth happens with rest, so give yourself a day off to recover from your workout session. — dpa

Designing a plan

You need more than just protein in your diet to get the nutrients you need to build muscle.

The same applies to your exercise routine – doing the right workouts will help you reach this goal faster and more effectively.

Sports performance and fitness specialist, Denise Cervantes, shares her favourite tips for strength training.

Strength training, also known as resistance training, is the main form of exercise you want to focus on to build muscle.

These exercises include weightlifting or bodyweight training (without weights) to improve your strength and strength endurance.

When you are training to increase strength or gain muscle, there are two things you need to make sure you are doing in your training to initiate the physiological change for hypertrophy (muscle growth in size).

First, you need to make sure you are creating mechanical tension, meaning you are using a heavy enough weight to challenge the muscle through a full range of motion.

Secondly, your training must also cause metabolic stress.

You will know you have done so when your muscle becomes fatigued, because it has used all of its stored energy to fuel its contractions to complete the repetitions.

This is a good thing!

These stresses you apply to the muscle will cause damage to the muscle fibres, causing “micro-tears,” which then send signals for the cells to regrow stronger and bigger.

And remember, growth happens with rest, so make sure to follow a well-designed programme that gives you a day to rest the muscle you just worked so it has a chance to recover and grow.

To see continual improvements from strength training, you should gradually increase the weight and number of repetitions.

Pretty soon, you’ll be a lot stronger physically and attracting a lot of attention!

By SUSAN BOWERMAN

Susan Bowerman is senior director, Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training, Herbalife Nutrition. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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Sunday, February 14, 2021

Be sexually safe this Valentine’s

Don’t let your partner kiss you if they are recovering from a cold sore or ulcer caused by HSV-1 as they can still pass the virus on to you. — AFP

G. vaginalis is the most common bacteria in the vagina and a common cause of bacterial vaginosis. — Filepic

https://youtu.be/2iWShIc3SiI

Absolutely amazing video clip... I really appreciate it..... Its an eye opener for our new generation who forget their roots and traditions. That's what have made us retrogress somehow to lead to immoral aspects.... Thumbs up to sender, Sister Swa

Being in a monogamous relationship, or abstaining from sex, doesn't necessarily guarantee from sexually-transmitted infection.

Valentine's day usually invokes the notions of love and romance.

Just imagine, you are on a nice dinner date with your other half and spend the night together in an almost fairytale-like evening.

But this lovely memory soon gets shattered when you or your partner discover unusual symptoms in the genital region.

Suddenly, worry – and even suspicion of each other – fills the atmosphere between the two of you.

And it doesn’t help that it is a topic many people might find difficult to bring up with their partners.

Truth be told, most men and women who are in faithful relationships or who have not had sex before do not expect any unusual symptoms in their genital region.

To suddenly discover a wart, a painful ulcer, or even a smelly and fishy discharge from the vagina, can be distressing.

Whether it’s kissing, skin to skin contact, or vaginal, oral or anal sex, each of these interactions can pose a risk of disease transmission.

But before you jump the gun and start thinking that your partner has cheated on you or lied about their sexual history, hold your horses – he or she could still be innocent!

Here are the top three sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) that one may develop even if you are in a faithful relationship OR have not had sex before.

> Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1

HSV-1 results in an incurable viral disease commonly known as herpes, which usually causes cold sores and oral ulcers in and around the lips and gums.

These cold sores and ulcers usually cause quite a bit of discomfort, especially when eating.

However, during the recovery stage of the cold sore or ulcer, you will usually not feel anything and may not even remember that you have it.

But it is still infectious at this stage and you may inadvertently spread the virus to your partner while kissing them.

The tricky part comes if you’ve engaged in oral sex with your partner.

Your partner may then develop ulcers around their genital region.

It is a misconception that genital ulcers are exclusively caused by HSV-2 as HSV-1 can also cause such ulcers.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 70% of the world’s population are carriers of HSV-1. The good news is that oral and genital herpes are often asymptomatic (do not have symptoms).

They also do not spread to your partner when there are no active ulcers.

They only flare up when your immune system is weakened and become contagious through contact when an ulcer is present.

Flare-ups can occur once every few months to once every few years, to even once every few decades.

You may experience tiredness, chills, fever and body aches before the painful ulcers emerge, often in the same place either at the genitals or mouth.

It is not all doom and gloom however, as you can get an accurate diagnosis with either a swab test of the active ulcer or a blood test two to three months after an active infection.

Getting a confirmed diagnosis can equip you with knowledge on how to prevent this infection with lysine supplements or by treating any active ulcers with antiviral medicines such as valacyclovir.

If left untreated, these ulcers often get painful, but will eventually recover by themselves after two to three weeks.

> Human papillomavirus (HPV) warts

I know it’s a lot to take in after hearing about HSV, but hang in there as we discuss our next disease: HPV warts.

These are cauliflower-like warts caused by HPV.

There are over 100 strains of HPV.

Apart from the 14 cancer-causing high-risk strains, there are also numerous low-risk strains that cause warts.

HPV warts do not turn into cancer, but are often unsightly and manifest themselves in and around the genital region.

HPV is a very common virus that can be found in a large majority of sexually-active persons.

However, it is often well-controlled by our immune system and does not cause any major symptoms.

HPV can be exchanged between you and your partner during sexual contact.

And when your body encounters a new HPV strain, it can cause the warts to develop.

The good news is that although it is unsightly, these warts are often harmless and can be treated with a variety of options, including creams, freezing with liquid nitrogen, and ablation with heat or electrocautery.

While these warts are easily treatable, a cause of greater concern are the high-risk strains like HPV 16,18 and 45.

These strains affect women more because of their ability to cause cervical cancer.

However, both women and men can protect themselves and their partners by getting vaccinated against these strains.

So fret not if you notice an unusual cauliflower-like lump or wart in the genital region; just speak to your doctor to get it assessed and treated.

> Bacterial vaginosis

Last but not least, one of the biggest causes of a fishy and foul-smelling vaginal discharge is the condition known as bacterial vaginosis.

It occurs when there is an imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in your vagina, and is often caused by the bacteria called Gardnerella vaginalis, the most common bacteria in the vagina.

In the event of a big build-up of bacteria, it can also cause one to develop symptoms of vaginitis, i.e. inflammation of the vagina, resulting in swelling, pain, and even painful sexual intercourse.

Until now, doctors and scientists do not know the exact mechanism of how this occurs, but sex – with or without condoms – often exacerbates this condition.

This condition can be easily diagnosed with a vaginal swab and treated with a vaginal pessary or oral antibiotics.

If you have read up to here, fret not, today can still be an amazing day for you and your partner – just make sure you practise safe sex and get yourselves tested for STIs as a precaution if you haven’t already.

By Dr Julian Hong who is a general practitioner (GP) in Singapore. For more information, email starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

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Sunday, August 30, 2020

Peeing Problems ?

Men, if you are having trouble with urination, it could be due to an enlarged prostate.

WHEN it comes to men’s health, the prostate is one of the organs that garners the most attention as it is a vital part of the male reproductive system.

The prostate is a small, squishy gland about the size of a walnut, located deep inside the groin, below the bladder, at the base of the penis and in front of the rectum.


The prostate is a walnut-shaped male gland situated deep inside the groin, below the bladder.- 123rf.com

An enlarged prostate is, by far, the top reason men have trouble peeing. The prostate gland sits right below the bladder. Urine travels from the bladder through a channel that runs right through the prostate to the urethra, where it exits the body.

A sexual gland, its most important function is the production of a fluid that, together with sperm cells from the testicles and fluids from other glands, makes up semen.

“When a man reaches climax, the sperm is mixed with water from the prostatic fluid and propelled out through the urethra tube.

“So, he ejaculates two things – the prostatic fluid and the semen,” explains consultant urologist Dr Datesh Daneshwar.

“This whole mechanism is so intricate that at the time of climax, he needs to stop peeing.

“There is a muscle that stops you from peeing, yet allows the semen to come out through the urethra via the penis and out of the body.”

Men often think that prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) is a natural part of ageing, but this is not necessarily true.

Says Dr Datesh, “With ageing, the prostate can enlarge, and if it does, it usually enlarges in the outward direction and doesn’t cause a compression of the urethra.

“It does not cause symptoms all the time and needs no treatment because it doesn’t trouble a man.

“But when it enlarges in the inward direction, it causes a blockage of the urethra and can lead to men having problems passing urine or with ejaculation; it can also cause erectile dysfunction.

“Being told on a routine ultrasound that your prostate is enlarged is not a reason to run to your urologist, unless you have some bothersome urinary symptoms – even something as trivial as needing to constantly get up in the middle of the night to pee.”

Aside from those who sit most of the day, avid male cyclists may also be at risk of developing prostatitis due to the compression of their pelvic area

No one knows the actual cause of prostate enlargement, although ageing, changes in the testicular cells and testosterone levels are believed to play a role in the growth of the gland.

The urologist says, “All the nerves that allow an erection are located around the prostate, and if you have an enlargement, these nerves are compressed and go wonky, so you will not have a proper erection.

“The inner part of the prostate is mostly muscle, so it’s pliable or elastic.

“Due to the enlargement, it becomes stiff – similar to inflammation that can take place in other body parts, e.g. the neck, legs, arms, etc.

“All this while, we have assumed that this enlargement has got to do with the increased number of prostate cells.

“However, I found that a lot of men have an injury to the prostate that makes the individual cells enlarged.”

For clearer understanding, Dr Datesh presents the following scenarios to his patients.

Imagine you have been hit hard on the arm.

When you put on a shirt, your hidden swollen arm may look “muscular”, but in actual fact, it is injured.

Or you could have hit the gym, worked out really hard and built your arm muscles, making you truly muscular.

The net result is the same: enlargement.

“The majority of men who have an enlarged prostate have a component of inflammation, which is known as prostatitis.

“It could be caused by swollen cells, which can be the result of a bacterial infection or injury.

“The bacterium that has been implicated in this is Chlamydia trachomatis, which is sexually transmitted (and causes chlamydia).

“It can remain dormant inside your prostate for years before acting up.

“As for injury, the mode is unclear – it could be caused by a catheter that was put into the penis during surgery or a camera that was inserted into the penis to remove a kidney stone, etc.

“Yet, there are men who have none of these, but still have an injured prostate,” he says.

He adds that, “Some factors that may cause the injury are excessive sitting or cycling.

“Any pressure on the perineum can lead to inflammation of the prostate and pelvic floor muscles, and this then causes urinary problems.”

A recurring problem

Besides urinary problems (i.e. dribbling, pain or too frequent), other symptoms of prostatitis include blood in the urine, groin pain, rectal pain, abdominal pain, lower back pain, fever, chills, body aches, urethral discharge, painful/ premature ejaculation, poor erection, lack of morning erection and sexual dysfunction.

Depending on the cause, prostatitis can come on gradually or suddenly.

It might improve quickly, either on its own or with treatment.

Some types of prostatitis last for months or keep recurring, which can greatly affect a man’s quality of life and cause low self-esteem.

To treat prostatitis, doctors will prescribe antibiotics, alpha blockers (to relax the bladder neck and muscle fibres where the prostate joins the bladder) and anti-inflammatory agents.

They may also suggest a prostatic massage, which can be very unpleasant.

Unlike BPH, which affects men above 50, most prostatitis patients are in the 30-50-years age bracket.

Dr Datesh says, “I have seen patients as young as 17 and as old as 90 with prostatitis.

“The management of this is different from standard management of BPH.

“Until now, we have never had a proper curative management, so the problem can be treated, but will come back every few months or years.

“A prostatitis patient then becomes a permanent patient of the urologist because his condition recurs.”

He relates a case of a 42-year-old fit and healthy patient who was rushed to the emergency department because he couldn’t pee after returning from a long flight.

A catheter was inserted and almost one litre of urine was drained.

He shares, “We started him on medicines and hoped he could pee.

“A few days later, we removed the catheter, and once again, he couldn’t pee.

“So, the next option would have been to do a surgical transurethral resection of the prostate, but that would have left him with sexual dysfunction for the rest of his life, and that wasn’t fair to the young man!”

He explains: “The surgery involves going through the urinary tube and coring his prostate from within to cut off the inner part (like removing the core of an apple) so that he can pee easier, but in the process, we would have altered the anatomy in the region and destroyed a lot of things.

“The man might end up having incontinence or retrograde ejaculation as the semen goes back into his bladder … everything goes haywire.

“An old man who cannot pee might be thankful, but not a young person.”

Instead, Dr Datesh treated him using antibiotics, along with low intensity shockwave therapy – a method that applies shockwaves directly to the prostate to reduce the inflammatory response and heal the tissues.

“After one session, this man was able to pee, and now, two years later, he’s peeing like a horse!

“I used to do the coring surgery every week, but I haven’t done one in two years because the shockwave therapy provides an effective option,” says the extremely pleased Dr Datesh, who is among the handful of local urologists practising this non-invasive method.

A ‘shock-ing’ option

Shockwave therapy has been around for 40 years and was initially used to break kidney stones, but has since been modified.

Instead of breaking, it creates regeneration and is used in wound healing, arthritis and muscle spasms.

In urology, it is considered new and has been used in the last 12 years to open up blocked blood vessels (due to diabetes, hypertension or heart disease) and enhance circulation to the penis.

“It also wakes up your stem cells to create regeneration.

“As we get older, our stem cells become more dormant and that’s why we don’t heal so well.

“It feels like acupuncture. There are zero complications, no burning sensation and no reported side effects.

“It’s not mainstream treatment, but the science is good and patients have this non-invasive option.

“There’s no fixed duration for treatment, but I do it twice a week for a total of 10 sessions, each lasting 12 minutes.

“Once the therapy is completed, antibiotics and alpha blockers are given for a month,” shares Dr Datesh.

While medicines (which come with side effects) can sort out 90% of prostatitis cases, there will be recurrence for 50-60% of patients after a few months or years.

With shockwave therapy, there is a 90% cure rate, but the studies only go back to the past eight years.

So far, Dr Datesh says the majority of his patients remain well.

“Like any muscular problem, it does go away, but there is a chance for it to come back and we don’t know why this happens.

“I’m extrapolating that humans are not supposed to be on their butts the whole day, but we cannot tell people to stop sitting!

“This problem is not seen in people who stand or do manual labour.

“How much butt tissue you have is also a factor, because without much flesh, the area is compressed further when you’re seated,” he adds.

Unfortunately, there are no tests or scans you can do to diagnose prostatitis – it’s a clinical diagnosis, akin to endometriosis in women.

“It’s very difficult to prove prostatitis microscopically or conclusively because we would have to take out the prostate and send it to the lab for analysis – obviously, this is not possible.

“So we have to put a lot of things together before coming up with a diagnosis.

Dr.DATESH DANESHWAR:

According to Dr.Datech,aAround 80% of men walking around with urinary problem and sexual dysfunction actually have prostatitis and don’t know it.

“They all want the blue pill (sildenafil)!” he says, smiling.

“They need to sort out their prostatitis, then they can enjoy life.”

Men who don’t ejaculate enough may also experience some amount of prostatic inflammation at some point.

“Best to do it three times a week!” he says with a wink.

Good urine flow

Men, irrespective of age, are supposed to have good urination and morning erections their whole lives – it shows that their hormone levels and circulation are intact.

For the past decade, Billy (not his real name), 54, had been experiencing poor urine flow.

It started when he took antinausea pills before going fishing.

Once he returned to shore, he couldn’t pee.

“Apparently, these pills can make any underlying prostate issues surface.

“I sought treatment, and for a while it was okay with medicines, but the problem returned three years ago.

“Although I had no other symptoms, I knew it was a prostate issue as I’m a doctor myself,” says the anaesthesiologist.

He did a series of tests and scans to rule out cancer.

Besides an enlarged prostate and a slightly elevated prostate-specific antigen test level, the results came back negative.

He was prescribed drugs and hormone suppressants.

Billy shares, “The flow was improving, but it still wasn’t good and the side effects were unpleasant.

“It reduced my sexual satisfaction as it caused dry ejaculation.

“I was contemplating surgery because both my late father and grandfather had similar problems and underwent surgery in their 50s.”

For a year, he lived with the dysfunction until he found out about shockwave therapy.

Six sessions later, he noticed an improvement.

“Since the scans and tests showed nothing, the urologist decided to treat my symptoms as prostatitis.

“My pee is much better now than it was 10 years ago.

“I’m at the stage where I only take drugs once a week or when necessary.

“I believe I have an enlarged prostate and prostatitis as both can co-exist.

“I would probably need surgery at some point, but hopefully, I can delay it for another 10 years,” he says.

Dr Datesh concludes, “Men, be aware that urinary problems are not normal at any age, and if you have them, it is not necessarily related to cancer or BPH. You’re not doomed.

“It could be an inflammatory problem or as the Malays would say‘ masuk angin’. Get it checked.”

By REVATHI MURUGAPPAN starhealth@thestar.com.my

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