With the holiday season in full bloom, one of the common threads that will bring people together this month is food. Because indulging in traditionally large feasts for Christmas and New Year’s is commonplace for much of the Pilipino community, it’s important to remember to keep a healthy lifestyle.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is more prevalent in Pilipino-Americans than in any other Asian subgroup and occurs when one’s blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg. The heart works much harder to pump blood, leading to risks of stroke and heart failure.
An early California study back in 1979 found that among Pilipino men and women over the age of 50, 60% and 65% respectively were found to have high blood pressure. Since then, the medical condition has continued to be a problem, both in the United States and back in the Philippines, whose Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology found that one in every four Pilipino adults had hypertension and 11 out of every 100 Pilipinos had a blood pressure dangerously close to hypertension.
Food that includes a lot of salt (sodium) and cholesterol can help increase the risk of having high blood pressure; unfortunately many traditional Pilipino foods such as patis, bagoong, lechon, and crispy pata rely on being salty or fried to achieve its popular flavors. Thus, it is often difficult to get Pilipinos to completely change their eating habits when these foods play such a large role in our culture.
Still, it isn’t impossible to take a few steps towards better health. Cutting down consumption of excess salt and cholesterol can help control hypertension, but regular physical activity, a decrease in drinking and smoking habits, and the partaking of more fruits and vegetables is also important to maintain well-being.
Even with the numbers and statistics found, many Pilipinos don’t know that they have hypertension as it often doesn’t show any symptoms. It’s important to get checked once in a while to make sure that one’s blood pressure stays at more reasonable levels.
With a healthier lifestyle, comes a merrier Christmas and a happier New Year.
Related Links:
- Pil-Am Health: It's Not Just Your Mom's Problem
- Filipino/Filipino-American Health & Habits: What Research Says
- Health and Health Care of Filipino American Elders
- 1 in 4 Filipinos has high blood pressure
- Filipinos Take It to Heart: A How-To Guide for Bringing Heart Health to Your Community
- Cardiovascular Risk in the Filipino Community
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