Cardiovascular diseases are still very much prevalent in the lives of many Filipinos. This is due to the fact that Filipinos love to eat. Each time we gather, there will always be something to eat. And even if we eat something that's supposedly nutritious such as the Ilocano vegetable dish Pinakbet, still it's not as healthy as you think it is. Why is that so? Primarily because we cook our Pinakbet with fermented shrimp paste [Bagoong] which is really salty and we also include chunks of crispy deep-fried bagnet [pork belly] as toppings for our pinakbet. So how would you say that it is a healthy vegetable dish when you have all of these things as part of your ingredients? That's why we are said to be predisposed to CVD and ischemic stroke among many other lifestyle associated diseases.
Have you ever heard of Dyslipidemia? I have not encountered this word until I had recently heard about it when I had attended a bloggers event by Zuellig Pharma and Amgen Philippines to create awareness of CVD and its implications. During the said event, Dr. Lourdes Ella Santos, MD, an Adult Cardiologist and Lipidologist gave a short talk about this alarming condition called dyslipidemia as well as discussed about other risk factors on certain heart diseases and ailments.
