Food manufacturer Del Monte Philippines Inc. has warned Filipinos against the risk of too much “bad” cholesterol level in the body that imperils their health and well-being and exposes them to various heart diseases.
“Filipinos need to balance how they take care of their cardiovascular system by exercising regularly and modifying their diet,” Del Monte said.
The food and beverage company also reminded Filipinos that ischemic heart disease—or narrowed heart arteries, which lessens the blood and oxygen levels that reach the heart muscle—and stroke were the leading causes of death globally prior to the pandemic in 2019, with ischemic heart disease accounting for 16 percent and stroke responsible for 11 percent of the total number of deaths in the world.
In the Philippines, ischemic heart disease, which is also caused by high cholesterol levels, remained to be the leading cause of death in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). PSA data reported that the number of deaths resulting from ischemic heart disease spiked by 30 percent to 136,575 last year, from 105,281 in 2020.
Del Monte, through its partnership with marketing services agency SMS Philippines, created programs—such as bite-sized webinars and online challenges on social media—to help keep Filipinos informed on the possible risks of bad cholesterol in the body and how to lower cholesterol level in 8 weeks.
“Elevated cholesterol level complicates an individual’s cardiovascular system, and this can lead to ischemic heart disease and stroke. As such, Filipinos should moderate their intake of food with excessive cholesterol,” SMS Philippines stressed.
“Cholesterol levels are among the modifiable risk factors for these diseases, and lowering them is important in decreasing the possibility of suffering these complications,” SMS Philippines added.
Del Monte also noted that Filipinos could introduce changes in their diet by adding functional foods that counter the impact of bad cholesterol in the body.
For instance, functional foods that contain phytosterols and phytostanols can lower the levels of bad cholesterol by an average of 12 percent and, in turn, minimize the risk of heart illnesses.
Del Monte, for its part, offers products like Del Monte Heart Smart 100% Pineapple Juice Drink specially formulated with Reducol. Reducol is a unique ingredient with phytosterols and phytostanols and is therefore clinically proven to lower bad cholesterol in the body.
Likewise, Del Monte and SMS Philippines reminded Filipinos through their programs to raise their immunity against free radicals by taking in Vitamin C every day. The food maker explained that Vitamin C helps maintain the health of the nervous system and reduces the chances of fatigue.
“Dietary intake of unhealthy amounts of cholesterol-rich foods could quickly lead to the elevation of cholesterol levels in the blood that, when left unchecked, may result in complications that can be debilitating and costly in the long run,” Del Monte said.
“It is important, then, to take charge of our own health and our family’s well-being by promoting a more active lifestyle and healthier eating habits,” it added.
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