Bandar Seri Begawan - A healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits are needed to achieve near-perfect health, which has long been realised in Islam and we are, in fact, told to aspire to it.

If this formula were to be examined closer, this sort of lifestyle, entailing exercises or sports that can be made up of jogging, badminton, golf and the like, Muslims should do the same and see such activities as virtuous, as long as they are decent, proper and cover up the 'aura', including running, archery, horseback-riding and swimming.

This was explained by Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Awg Abdul Aziz bin Juned, the State Mufti, when delivering his working paper entitled 'A Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Eating Habits from the Islamic Perspective' in conjunction with the launching of the Knowledge Convention 2012 at the ICC yesterday.

He further explained that such healthy activities could in fact be considered "praying".

According to him, the human body is generally made up of four main components, which are the active tissues, bone tissues, water and fats. Each and every one of these components has its own functions in the body.

Therefore, the connection is clear that the research done by experts on the advantages of doing activities towards the body's composition is that whatever activity, heavy or light, done regularly and consistently, is able to burn fat and carbohydrates.

It is similar to the light motions in prayer which have been proven to increase the body's resistance, in addition to avoiding the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"The greatness of this religious activity is evident from the bowing movement alone: the position of the backbone would be at a 90 degrees' straight horizontal angle, making it possible to avoid the risks of back pains and arthritis diseases.

"Bowing, according to experts, can slow down the ageing process and improve the water balance in the body, along with the levelling of the kidney functions.

"It is also the same with 'sujud', which would allow more blood to flow into the brain. Through sujud, the wall and brain nerves would be able to receive greater blood flow as well as a higher oxygen supply, which could make the brain healthier and sharper.

"With that in mind, we have to make sure that the sujud is done correctly and that we spend a little more time in that position to enable blood to flow to the brain," explained Pehin Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Hj Awg Abdul Aziz.

The State Mufti also touched on the benefits of, fasting.

Modern medical researchers, he explained further, have begun to find out that fasting can play a part in getting rid of toxins or poisons from the body and that it can also indirectly increase one's immune system to fight diseases.

In his working paper, the State Mufti also looked into the opinions of the experts in America, one of which was Dr Mac Fadon, who explained that fasting is like a magical wand that can cure sickness that involves the stomach. Dr Mac Fadon has also been largely successful in treating patients through fasting as an alternative to modern medicine.

The State Mufti also cited another report by Dr Alan Cott, a medicinal expert in the US, who has reported a psychological research proving that fasting could influence the level of a person's intelligence.

He also stated that in terms of biology, when the stomach and intestines carry out digestive processes, the brain would not function properly because of the energy and blood flows concentrated on food digestion.

In addition, when we eat food until we are full, our brains will become too weak to think and our body becomes lethargic, making our eyes tired. It is different when people are fasting, as their energy and blood flow are concentrated in their brain, which enable them to work efficiently, making their mental and physical states work effectively.

In 1996, an international congress carrying the theme "Health and Ramadhan" was held in Casablanca, in which a number of experts from all over the world presented more than 50 research papers. All the research validated fasting as being able to prevent and cure various illnesses.

All these four aspects are in accordance with the findings of the World Health Organization, that plenty of diseases now are caused by the metabolic syndrome, comprising four things: high blood glucose, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, as well as obesity.

The State Mufti then proceeded to remind people to eat healthy and to not eat too much to avoid endangering their health. He further mentioned that the main causes of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and kidney disease are due to the food consumed.