MANILA, Philippines - The 2008 National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) revealed startling statistics regarding the state of health among Filipinos today. Firstly, it showed that one out of every three Filipinos aged 20 and up already has borderline high to high total cholesterol levels. Even among those aged 20 to 29 years old, 17% already have borderline high to high cholesterol levels. The prevalence of high total cholesterol increases significantly as one gets older, at 26% for those in their 30s, 31% in their 40s and 48% in their 50s.
In the case of bone health, 90% of Filipino households are actually not meeting the average requirement of calcium. Moreover, calcium is the least consumed nutrient in the Filipino diet. Based on the International Osteoporosis Philippine Foundation (OSPF), bone breakdown starts as early as 25. Being “at risk” means one is likely to have osteoporosis by 50 years old. As a matter of fact, one out of five men, and one out of three women over the age of 50 will eventually suffer from an osteoporotic fracture. These fractures usually occur on the wrist, spine, and hip. There is an estimate of 8.1 million Filipinos with osteoporosis and many are unaware of it until fractures appear.
These studies and statistics indicate that cholesterol management and bone health are two of the most pressing issues that every Filipino must be aware of and be proactive about. In response to this, Del Monte Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) and the FNRI are promoting the importance of preventive healthcare. After a successful collaboration to promote heart health in 2012, DMPI and FNRI once again join hands to promote a new holistic health campaign. For their latest advocacy, the two forces would like to champion bone health and calcium-deficiency prevention in addition to their existing crusade against high cholesterol and heart disease.
Kicking off the next leg of their partnership, DMPI and FNRI launched Health Smart last September 30 at Kamia Ballroom of EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. Health Smart is a media forum on a campaign towards making proactive decisions that help prevent bone and heart diseases, in order to maintain one’s desired lifestyle. The event took its context from Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, which states that the average person can have one to two of the nine intelligences: musical, visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, natural, and existential.
However, in order to excel in any of these intelligences, one also has to be “health smart” — to have the conscious knowledge of sustaining one’s health in order to fully carry out his/her daily role. This so-called “10th intelligence” can be complemented by taking Del Monte’s Smart Juice line, composed of Heart Smart for cholesterol reduction and Bone Smart for strong bones.
Aside from addressing the 10th intelligence, the Health Smart forum also featured experts from FNRI and DMPI who discussed and talked about the reality, risks, and impact of poor health habits on the average Filipino. FNRI dealt with the National Nutrition Survey results on cardio-vascular diseases and studies on the calcium deficiency problem in the country while DMPI aimed to debunk myths and misleading notions that lead younger people to be complacent with their heart and bone health.
Moreover, as part of its effort to spread awareness and find everyday solutions to help promote bone and heart health, the Health Smart forum donated Del Monte Bone Smart juices to the The Osteoporosis Society of the Philippines Foundation. Likewise, Del Monte Heart Smart juices were donated to the Operation Heart Foundation, to be given to the organization’s patients.