Hyderabad: Seventy-five per cent of Hyderabadis in the age group of 30 to 55 years have poor muscle health according to a survey of body composition analysis carried out in eight major cities across India. Hyderabad was the third highest in the chart with Patna at 77 per cent and Lucknow at 81 per cent topping the chart in poor muscle health. Awareness about the importance of muscle health was low; most respondents thought muscle building is only for gym-goers and athletes.
The survey of 1,234 respondents countrywide found that muscle health was poor in 75 per cent of males and 74 per cent of females, indicating that they have lower protein content. The survey has found that seven out of 10 Indians have poor muscle health. In Lucknow, 82 per cent males and 80 per cent females had poor muscle health and in Delhi 64 per cent of both males and females had poor muscle health.
Accounting for the low protein content in the diet, nutritionist Sunitha Premlatha of Yashoda Hospitals said, “The food composition of people in the city has more carbohydrates and less protein. The food composition is 80 cent carbohydrates with protein being consumed just once a week in many households. Even the dal that is had on a daily basis is very watery and is not thick like they have in North India. The consumption of boiled egg, paneer and, cheese is not as required. For these reasons muscle build-up is not at optimum level. Soya is also considered a second- level protein and not first hence for vegetarians the options are to choose the right ones which will give them the adequate requirement.”
Good muscle health helps to maintain an active lifestyle and also helps maintain the metabolism of the body. Dr G.H. Kishan, senior general physician at Apollo Hospitals explains, “Poor muscle strength is one of the causes for fatigue and lowering of metabolism. For this reason, we inquire about the intake of protein in vegetarians as their protein consumption is of a very low quality and is not adequate.”
High amounts of biological protein are found in eggs, milk, milk products, lean chicken and fish and whey proteins. The daily recommended protein requirement for an adult is 0.8 gm per kilo of body weight. Apart from good nutrition, exercise also improves muscle health. Strength training exercises, aerobics and low scale gym exercises can improve muscle health. To ensure that there is no muscle damage, warm-up and cooling down exercises are recommended. The survey was carried out in eight cities -Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna and Hyderabad.
