AN unhealthy lifestyle is attributed to the vulnerability of younger Dabawenyos to cancer and heart diseases, according to medical experts of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) on Monday, February 13.
The main culprit for unhealthy lifestyles is excessive smoking and drinking which leads to the four major lifestyle-associated diseases namely cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic lung disease.
Dr. Elfred Batalla, head of SPMC's heart institute, said it's alarming that patients diagnosed with heart problems are getting younger over the years.
He said based on SPMC's census, cases of heart disease now involve patients who are 30 years old and below whereas before they usually involved older patients above 50 years old.
"As I can see, this is probably due to substance abuse used by the young. Second, diet and way of life like less exercise. Probably because of this generation, we do not go out to play (so) lesser ang energy expenditures," Batalla said during the Kapehan sa Davao media forum.
Dr. Chita Matunog, adult oncology at SPMC, added that smoking is associated not only with lung diseases but also with various types of cancer such as cancer of the nasopharynx, larynx, throat, and mouth among others.
While alcohol and an unhealthy diet is linked to stomach and colon cancer, and liver diseases.
"The lifestyle-associated diseases are grouped together since the underlying risk factors are the same or similar," Matunog said.
Batalla added that lack of sleep, or less than seven hours of sleep, is also linked to coronary artery disease.
"Lack of sleep does not mean you do not sleep at night, lack of sleep is less than seven hours of sleep a day. As we have a good quality of sleep of seven hours, that would be enough. What we are concerned about is less time of sleep and less quality of sleep," he said. ICM
