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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Cholestrol

Runners run a lot and burn up so much calories, therefore will not get high cholesterol. Myth or Fact?

This is what most of my colleagues said to me whenever I lunch with them. They assume that because I run so much, I burnt up everything that goes into my stomach and therefore will not get high cholesterol. How wrong they are.

To explain to them, I like to use the example of a running tap and a sink. Just turn on the tap and let the water run and the sink will not get choke. But if at the same time, someone continuously pours pot and pot of oil or sludge into the sink in addition to the water, sooner or later, the thicker oil will start to coat the pipe and over time the sink will start to clog. Imagine therefore a runner as the water flowing down and the drainage pipe as our arteries. The oil represent the cholesterol laden food that is taken in without regard. Sooner or later, the arteries will start to get clog.

The key to everything is moderation. By all means continue to eat the char kway teow, laksa etc but in moderation cos if we stop eating all the nice food out there (and somehow all the nice food are rather unhealthy), what's the point of all these running?

3 comments:

  1. http://runningdoctor.runnersworld.com/2007/08/how-does-runnin.html

    FYI as a reference point. Unless you're really 'suay' with crappy genes from your parents (aka hereditary factor), more exercise definitely reduces cholesterol. So yes, you can eat more, just gotta exercise more, as any serious exercise will use up a bunch of nutrients, incl cholesterol. People tend to focus only on the caloric reduction aspect of extended exercise..

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  2. Thanks for the tips, I realise that as I jogged frequently my food intake some how reduces quite substantially too.

    Moderation is definitely the key.

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