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Led by Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians have a great mix of experience and youth
Photo: Pradeep Tewari Vitamin D deficiency leads to obesity and stunts growth, says a study
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Champions calling With the Champions League T20 kicking off on September 10 in South Africa, it will be back to the shortest version of the game and to club colours Ever since the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended, cricket has been hit by one controversy after another. The never-ending Lalit Modi saga, the subsequent claims of wrong-doing in the IPL, the recent no-ball controversy in Sri Lanka and, of course, the ‘spot-fixing’ in the Pakistan-England Test series. But despite the need for corrective measures and punishing the guilty, the plain truth is that the game has to move on. So, hopefully, breaking the noise over corruption will be the sound of the ball hitting the sweet spot of the bat and the roar of spectators as the Airtel Champions League T20 kicks off in South Africa from September 10. The tournament features 10 teams — from India (three teams), Australia (two), South Africa (two), New Zealand (one), the West Indies (one) and Sri Lanka (one). With the previous edition in India generating a lukewarm response, the organisers are hell bent on making this edition a bigger and better package. WAYAMBA ELEVENS:
Winners of Sri Lanka's Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament for the second year running, Wayamba will be making their second appearance in the Champions League. Wayamba, which represents the North Western Province in Sri Lanka, will be hoping to put up a better show this time around --- they were eliminated at the end of the first round in the inaugural season. With exciting cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene, the hard-hitting Thissara Perera, Jehan Mubarak and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis in their squad, it's very likely that the team from the island nation will make it to the knockout stages this season. Wayamba are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run in the Sri Lankan Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament, spread over two seasons. WARRIORS:
With a squad that consisted of Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Johan Botha and Nicky Boje, it wasn't really a surprise that the Warriors strung together a consistent performance in the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament. They only lost one out of their eight matches in the competition and went on to clinch the title. ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:
The Vijay Mallya-owned Royal Challengers Bangalore made their second Champions League Twenty20 appearance by virtue of finishing third in the third season of the Indian Premier League. The Anil Kumble-led outfit figured in the inaugural CLT20 too thanks to their runners-up position in IPL 2009. From being chided as a 'Test team' in coloured clothing in the inaugural season of the IPL, it has been some transformation for the Bangalore-based franchise, who have made it to two consecutive CLT20 competitions. Former South African coach Ray Jennings coaches a side with a strong South African flavour, a fact that will no doubt assist RCB in CLT20's African sojourn. MUMBAI INDIANS:
Led by Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians make it to the Champions League by finishing runners-up in the Indian Premier League 2010. The most consistent team in the IPL 2010 in the league stages, the Mumbai Indians have a great mix of experience and youth. While Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan bring in all their years of experience of playing at the international level, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Rajagopal Sathish, Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary bring in the much-needed zeal and hunger for achievement on the big stage. CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: The only team to make it to the semifinals of each of the three seasons of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings make it to this edition of the Champions League by winning the IPL. Led by the flamboyant and charismatic M. S. Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings have some of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball in their line-up like Matthew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay. The bowling department appeared to be Chennai Super Kings' weak-link in the initial stages of IPL 2010. However, Doug Bollinger, called in as a replacement player, together with the spin trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, Shadab Jakati and Ravichandran Ashwin, kept chipping away at opposition batsmen, much to the delight of the team management. VICTORIAN BUSHRANGERS:
Having won four KFC Big Bash Twenty20 finals in five seasons, the Victorian Bushrangers will no doubt be one of the most feared teams. The Melbourne-based team boasts some prolific players in their line-up --- Brad Hodge and David Hussey are among the top two run-getters in T20 cricket, while Cameron White is among the few batsmen around the world to have scored two or more hundreds in the 20-over format. SOUTH AUSTRALIAN REDBACKS:
The Redbacks make it to the Champions League by making it to the final of Australia's KFC Big Bash T20 for the first time. A team which is undergoing a metamorphosis of kinds, they were the most consistent side in the KFC Big Bash last season, registering four wins in five matches, before ending up second best in the title clash against the Victorian Bushrangers. HIGHVELD LIONS:
The Highveld Lions, with players from Gauteng and North West provinces in South Africa, qualified for the Champions League as they ended runners-up in the Pro20 competition in South Africa. Among the players to look out for in the Lions' squad are captain Alviro Petersen, the ever-dependable Neil McKenzie. The Lions' Vaughn van Jaarsveld finished as the team's top run-getter (249 runs in 8 matches) - second in the list of the top run-getters in the Pro20 2009/10, while Robert Frylinck finished as the tournament's leading wicket-taker. The Lions will feature in the tournament's very first game, against the Mumbai Indians, which will be played at their home ground Wanderers.
Team trivia
Tournament format
In 2009, the 12 teams were split into four groups of three each, with two from each group proceeding to a league stage. The eight qualifiers were split into two leagues from which the semifinalists were identified. The 2010 event will have the ten teams split into two groups of five each. The top two from each group will contest the semifinals.
Prize catch
The total prize money on offer for the 2009 edition was $6 million. New South Wales received $2.5m as winners while T&T won $1.3m for reaching the final. The losing semi-finalists earned $500,000 each and the rest of the purse was shared between the remaining teams.
Multiple representation
Since the event features franchise-based clubs, there are instances of a player having to choose between two or more sides. Ross Taylor of New Zealand had to choose between Royal Challengers Bangalore, Victoria and his home side Central Districts for the 2010 event. There are a number of other players who are eligible to play for two teams: Jacques Kallis (Warriors, Bangalore), Mark Boucher (Warriors, Bangalore), Makhaya Ntini (Warriors, Chennai), Kieron Pollard (South Australia, Mumbai).
If a player chooses to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team in 2010 (the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket), the 'away' team must pay $200,000 compensation to the 'home' team. No compensation is payable to an 'away' team if a player chooses to play for his 'home' team.
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Vitamin D deficiency leads to obesity and stunts growth, says a study The study by Kremer and co-investigator Vincente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, is the first to show a clear link between Vitamin D levels and the accumulation of fat in muscle tissue --- a factor in muscle strength and overall health. The study results are especially surprising because study subjects - all healthy young women living in California - could logically be expected to benefit from a good diet, outdoor activities and ample exposure to sunshine - the trigger that causes the body to produce Vitamin D.The results extend those of an earlier study by Kremer and Gilsanz, which linked low levels of Vitamin D to increased visceral fat in a young population, said an MUHC release. "In the present study, we found an inverse relationship between Vitamin D and muscle fat," Kremer says. "The lower the levels of Vitamin D the more fat in subjects' muscles."
These findings were published in a recent Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Meanwhile, another study indicates that the daily dose of Vitamin D may just be what can help you tide over the coming winter when you are mostly indoors. Sue Penckofer, professor, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON), who led the study, says that Diet alone may not be sufficient to manage vitamin D levels. A combination of adequate dietary intake of Vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, and treatment with vitamin D2 or D3 supplements can decrease the risk of certain health concerns.
— IANS |
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Fitness
mantra
Functions Calcium is the major mineral found in our bones and teeth. Along with phosphorus and other nutrients, calcium builds the hard structure that makes bones and teeth strong. Calcium has many roles to play in maintaining proper health and well-being other than acting as a building block of bones and teeth. We need calcium for proper muscle and nerve functions, blood clotting and other body processes. These functions are so critical that calcium is taken from the bones to maintain blood calcium if dietary calcium is inadequate. Calcium is actively involved in reducing acidity and hence promotes proper digestion. It also helps in prevention of obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It has been reported that calcium helps in preventing depression in women. Disorders due to deficiency If dietary intake of calcium is poor, calcium will not be mobilised from the skeleton to maintain circulating levels. Low dietary intake over time can lead to demineralisation of the skeleton and increased risk of osteoporosis. In women hormonal imbalance during menopause or removal of ovaries at earlier stages results in osteoporosis. Common among children who do not expose themselves to sunlight (source of Vitamin D), which reduces calcium absorption from the diet and cause rickets. Inhibitors
Enhancers The most important factor in promoting calcium absorption is Vitamin D, which stimulates the formation of calcium-binding protein. Thus with a high intake of Vitamin D, the absorption of calcium from foods is complete, which maintains a positive calcium balance even at low intake. Phosphate and calcium ratio in the diet also influences the absorption. If the ratio is 1: 1, absorption rate is high and, moreover, most foods containing calcium also have a proper proportion of phosphorous e.g. milk, egg, green leafy vegetables. Requirements The FAO/WHO expert has recommended 400 – 500 mg per day for an adult man and woman. During pregnancy and lactation, the requirement increases to 1000 mg/day. For infants the ideal amount is 500 – 600mg/day, children (1-9years) 400 – 500mg/day and for children (10-15years) 600 – 700mg/day. Food sources Milk and milk products are the best sources of calcium and the absorption is the maximum due to the presence of lysine and lactose in it. People who are suffering from milk allergy have trouble digesting milk. They can choose many lactose-free milk like soya milk and low-lactose foods such as curd and yoghurt, though many people with milk allergy are able to drink small amount of milk and its products with no ill-effects. Ragi is the cheapest sources of calcium, therefore it is known as the “poor man’s milk”. Other rich sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables like palak, arvi leaves, methi and vegetables like peas, beans, potatoes and pulses and dry fruits. For non-vegetarians, fish eaten with bones is a good source of calcium. Mineral maximised
The writer is the chief dietician, Department of Dietetics, PGI |
Champions calling
Fitness
mantra
Vitamin D deficiency could be an unwitting invitation to obesity, weight gain or stunted growth among girls, says a new study.
The ground-breaking research by McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) found an astonishing 59 per cent of those who were studied had too little Vitamin D in their blood. Nearly a quarter had more serious deficiencies of the vitamin.
"Vitamin D insufficiency is a risk factor for other diseases," explained principal investigator and study author Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the Research Institute of MUHC. "Since it is linked to increased body fat, it may affect many different parts of the body. Abnormal levels of Vitamin D are associated with cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes as well as cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders." 
We need calcium all through our lives to support our bones and teeth as well as our body functions. Actually, we build most of the structure of our bones before we reach the age of 30. If we do not get enough calcium to make bones strong when we are young, we will be at higher risk for osteoporosis as we get older. Our body contains approximately 1200 gm of calcium, out of which 99 per cent is found in our bones and teeth and the remaining 1 per cent in the blood.