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Did you know that excessive long-term intake of Trans fat from foods may increase your risk of developing heart disease? In the Philippines, Cardiovascular disease or CVD including Heart Attack and Stroke is the number one cause of death and known comorbidity of COVID-19. In 2020, about half of Filipinos who died from COVID also suffered comorbidities which include Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) which is a kind of CVD. One of the risk factors that contribute to the development of these diseases is an unhealthy diet and lifestyle such as excessive intake of salty foods and foods with Trans Fat and lack of physical activity.
Trans Fats are chemically modified fats from vegetable oils that are transformed into semi-solid fats or partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated fats to increase their shelf life when added to food products such as baked goods, pastries, and other processed foods. They can also be found naturally occurring in some animal products such as meat, cheese, butter, and dairy products. In a 2015 Meta-analysis, total trans-fat intake is associated with an increased risk of mortality from Coronary Heart Disease by 28 - 50%. In the same study, they also noted that industrial sources of trans fat from processed foods are associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality from coronary heart disease by 4 - 33% as compared to trans fats from natural food sources.
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“Nutrient-rich foods provide energy for women’s busy lives and reduce the risk of disease.”
- Dr. Sherri Ann Suplido from the Webinar entitled “Optimizing Nutrition for Women in the Reproductive Age”
This March we are celebrating International Women’s Month with the theme “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women” and the subtheme “Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran.” This year, the theme focuses on the celebration of women being able to exercise their choices, be heard, and benefit from changes. With these objectives, we hope to support women’s health through proper nutrition by providing services and nutrition education materials to help women make informed choices. Thus, this article focuses on how proper nutrition can help protect women’s health from pregnancy to the elderly years.
Read more: Protecting Women's Health Through Proper Nutrition
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Origin
Cabbage is a cruciferous Brassica vegetable which is a group of vegetables that includes broccoli, Brussel sprouts, garden cress, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard, turnips, and bok choy. Cabbage was believed to originate from the Mediterranean and became a huge part of worldwide cuisines. The edible portion is the head with layers of leaves coming in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Cabbage varieties include red, white, and savoy cabbages which can be eaten fresh, or stewed, shredded, steamed, pickled, fermented, boiled or sauteed.
Nutrient Content
Cabbage is generally low in calories with only 11 calories per ½ cup serving. It is also a good source of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin K. It also contains significant amounts of Vitamin A, magnesium, niacin, zinc, manganese, copper, phosphorus and choline. Aside from these, it also contains “phytochemicals”. Phytochemicals are substances from plants that are released as their means of protection against environmental stresses or pathogens but are also said to provide several health benefits when consumed. These phytochemicals include carotenoids beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lutein + zeaxanthin and flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin.
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Every March of the year, Juana takes center stage in the annual National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC). This important event recognizes the essential contribution and roles of women in nation-building. The observance of NWMC is led by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) together with the other stakeholders including the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
This coming March 8, NNC will be conducting an online webinar via Zoom as an official launching of Women’s Month celebration. The webinar will discuss gender-fair communication and will be inviting sought-after resource speakers who are recognized as women achievers of nutrition. Hence, on the said event, all NNC staff from different regional offices are encouraged to wear purple shirts signifying their support for women empowerment. Facebook followers of NNC FB page and all nutrition workers will be able to view the said webinar since it will be shared thru FB livestreaming.
Read more: 2022 National Women’s Celebration Month: Marching towards CHANGE!
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Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder in which there is chromosomal instability on the 21st chromosome. Those suffering from DS have a diverse degree of disturbances in their brain development and function. In addition, there are other health problems linked throughout their body like cardiac defects, gut problems, and thyroid abnormalities along with nutritional diseases. Thus, they usually share common phenotypic features such as narrow slanted eyes, flat nose, large tongue, and short stature.
According to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), individuals with DS have an inherent metabolic risk factor of developing nutritional disorders like food intolerance, malabsorption, and obesity. Almost half of the children born with DS have congenital heart defects, breathing difficulty, thyroid, and intestinal problems. Furthermore, their genetic predisposition increases the chances of associated health conditions later in life. All these medical conditions make caregiving for children with DS challenging on many levels.
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Diseases of the heart, according to Dans et. al (2005), remain the top leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines ever since 1990. Globally, an estimated 17.5 million people every year die from cardiovascular diseases irrespective of age, race, and region. The increasing trend of cardiovascular cases in the Philippines, however, is not surprising at all. The data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) survey (2003) shows that 90% of Filipinos have one or more of the six prevalent risk factors in developing heart disease. These risk factors include smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, overweight, and obesity.
Furthermore, cardiovascular disease is labeled as the costliest of the four Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) since it requires expensive laboratory diagnostics and physician consults, pricey maintenance medications, and hospitalizations. Hence, it is clear that the burden caused by cardiovascular disease affects not only health but the socio-economic standing of individuals afflicted by the disease.
The question is, is there something we can do to spare ourselves from all these health and economic constraints brought by this disease? Well, the answer is to follow the acronym H.E.A.R.T.
