Law needed to curb lifestyle diseases

Sports scientist asks Congress to make daily exercise mandatory

MANILA, Philippines – An expert in molecular biology and sports science called Wednesday on lawmakers to enact legislation that would encourage daily physical exercises, including in workplaces, as a solution to the worsening problem of lifestyle diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

Dr. Custer Deocaris, an awardee of the “balik-scientist” program of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) who also specializes in stem cell research, said Congress should not ignore the fact that a big number of people are suffering from hypertension and diabetes because of lack of daily exercises.

He said daily exercise would certainly keep people from acquiring hypertension and diabetes, and eventually lower the incidence of diseases associated with lifestyle.

Deocaris said he has drafted a proposed bill on the matter for solons to consider.

His proposed physical activity bill, the balik scientist said, would require people in workplaces to exercise at least 30 minutes with pay daily, just as it is being done in Japan.

Deocaris said the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of physical exercises.

The bill would also set minimum requirements for exercise of children in elementary and high school.

Lawmakers should wake up to the reality that “50 percent of the country’s population is already diabetic,” he said.

He said one lawmaker who should adopt his bill and strongly push for it should be international boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao who should know about the benefits of daily exercise.

Along with the compulsory daily exercise, Deocaris said, his draft bill would also establish a Philippine Sports High School, similar to the Philippine Science High School, where students could be trained to become professional athletes. The proposed high school would be tied up to the national research institute for sports.

A study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DoST) shows that that one in every four adult Filipinos has high blood pressure of equal or higher than 140/90 millimeter mercury (mmHg). Likewise, another 11 in every 100 Filipino adults have BP reading of about 130-139/85-89 mmHg.

The accepted normal blood pressure is about 120/80 mmHg. The report also shows that the number of people with hypertension increased from 22.5 percent in 2003 to 25.3 percent in 2008.

It is also reported that five out of 100 Filipinos have FBS, the indicator of the presence of diabetes mellitus. This also increased from 3.4 percent of the population in 2003 to 4.8 percent in 2008.

In addition, three in every 100 Filipinos have impaired fasting glucose (IFG), another indicator of a possible progression to diabetes mellitus.

One in every 10 Filipino adults also has high cholesterol levels. Twenty-one out of 100 are borderline high. –GABRIEL S. MABUTAS, Manila Bulletin