'Save your heart,' cut down on UPPs — health group

As Valentine's Day nears, a health group on Tuesday reminded the public to cut down on unhealthy ultra-processed food products to "save their hearts."

Citing a multinational study published in 2023 in the Lancet Regional Health-Europe, the Healthy Philippine Alliance said the high consumption of UPPs is associated with a higher risk of developing multimorbidity, or a combination of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases, such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, or kidney disease.

The study studies over 266,000 men and women from seven European countries who consumed UPPs that constituted more than half of their daily intake.

UPPs are food that contain preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors.

The most common UPPs are breakfast cereals, soft drinks, ice cream, hotdogs, corned beef, meatloaf, sausages, and instant noodles.

"One way of showing extra love and care for our hearts is to cut down our consumption of UPPs to save ourselves from cardiovascular diseases," Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, former Department of Health secretary and convener of the HPA.

"Replace UPPs with healthier choices like fresh fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked meals. In the long run, a healthier diet will also save us from the economic burden of health care costs," Tan added.

The HPA further encouraged Filipinos, even those below age 40, who regularly consume UPPs to monitor their blood pressure and check for hypertension.

According to the group, hypertension is a common risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases.

The prevalence of hypertension among Filipinos rose from 22 percent in the 1990s to 37% in 2021, according to PRESYON 4 study by the Council for Hypertension of the Philippine Heart Association.

Meanwhile, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority revealed that from January to July 2023, ischaemic heart disease, which leads to heart attack, is the number one cause of death in the country with more than 65,000 cases.

Moreover, the WHO's Country Profile on non-communicable diseases for the Philippines ranks cardiovascular diseases as the top cause of death countrywide killing about 250,000 Filipinos every year.