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Filipinos Urged to Care for Digestive Health

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Category: Region Caraga

Philippine Digestive Health WeekBy virtue of Proclamation 930 issued in the year 2020, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte declared the second week of March of every year as the “Philippine Digestive Health Week”. The proclamation takes cognizance of the need to “strengthen national and local efforts in providing a comprehensive and coordinated approach to health development with emphasis on scaling up health promotion and preventive care, by improving health literacy and mainstream health promotion and protection”. In a report published by the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2021, diseases or complications of the digestive tract are among the top causes of deaths in the Philippines. The most common, among others, are liver cancer, colorectal cancer, peptic ulcer disease, diarrhea and stomach ulcer.

This year’s PDHW theme is “Malusog na Tiyan at Bituka sa Gitna ng Pandemya”. This is anchored on the continuous call of health experts to all Filipinos to take a proactive role in caring for their digestive health, most especially during the pandemic. To celebrate the PDHW, the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology (PSG) in conjunction with allied health societies, is set to hold various online events. In what’s considered the largest gathering of GI experts in the Philippines, among the various events during the weeklong celebration, the main event is the 2022 Joint Annual Convention which will happen on March 11-12 & 18-19, 2022.

How do we take care of our tummy?

It is famously known that prevention is better than cure. In a research publication by the American Society of Microbiology, a child somewhere in the world dies from diarrheal disease every fifteen seconds. According to the research, among the various measures to prevent gastrointestinal illnesses, the provision of adequate sanitation and proper hygiene tops the list. This prevention would include the proper handling of food and water, proper storage of food items, and clean environment.

The Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-FNRI) provides guidance for eating patterns, lifestyle and health status of Filipinos. NGF No. 6 provides that we must consume safe foods and water to prevent diarrhea and other food- and water-borne diseases. The NGF was further simplified to increase message recall to what is know as the 10 Kumainments, translating the NGF No. 6 to  Kumainment No. 6 – Tiyaking malinis at ligtas ang ating pagkain at tubig.

General tips on keeping the digestive system healthy includes keeping a diet that is high in fiber and rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains as these food items keeps the normal process of digestion running smoothly, helping to prevent constipation and maintain a healthy weight. Another is minimizing intake of food high in fat as fatty foods tend to slow down the digestive process, which can lead to constipation. Also, by drinking plenty of water or keeping our body hydrated, facilitated by fiber, water is drawn to the colon to create a bulkier yet softer stools, which allows them to pass through more easily.

The National Nutrition Council Caraga supports the celebration of the Philippine Digestive Health Week by committing to ensure appropriate policies will be crafted at the national, regional and local level relative to digestive health as this will have an impact to the nutritional well-being of the target population for nutrition. #RPOchavo

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