Pinoys advised to curb intake of alcohol, fatty, salty food during holidays

Ahead of the Yuletide holidays, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) on Wednesday warned the public to watch their intake of alcohol, salty, and fatty food to prevent getting the “Holiday Heart Syndrome” (HHS).

In an interview on Wednesday, Dr. Lourdes Santos of the PHA board of trustees said increased alcohol and high cholesterol food consumption during holiday gatherings may lead to HHS.

“By January, nagpapalpitasyon na yan, hinahapo na, sumisikip ang dibdib. Again, these are all cyclical. We see [them] every year by January, yung mga nagsisisi sa kinain nila ng December,” Santos said.

(By January, they’re already having palpitations, panting heavily, having chest pains. Again, these are all cyclical. We see [them] every year by January, those who are regretting all the food they ate in December.)

“[By] January, magpapablood test kasi napapansin nila, iba na yung pakiramdam nila,” she added.

([By] January, they will have blood tests done because they will notice that something’s wrong.)

Earlier, the Department of Health described HHS as a condition caused by excessive alcohol consumption, stress, lack of rest, and eating too much salty or fatty foods that may increase blood pressure.

“When people binge drink, sometimes it can cause what we call dilated cardiomyopathy. Lumalaki yung puso because of alcohol. Ang nangyayari, you have irregularities in the heart. Arrhythmia ang tawag natin. Maraming nagkakaroon ng arrhythmia come January because of excessive alcohol,” Santos said.

(When people binge drink, sometimes it can cause what we call dilated cardiomyopathy. Their heart enlarges because of alcohol. What happens is that you have irregularities in the heart called arrhythmia. A lot of people get arrhythmia come January because of excessive alcohol.)

Previously, Dr. Don Robespierre Reyes, chair of the PHA Council on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, said the standard drink size is only 12 ounces for beer, eight ounces for malt liquor, five ounces for wine, and 1.5 ounces for distilled spirits like gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey.

For women, four or more drinks consumed on one occasion is already considered binge drinking, while eight or more drinks per week is considered heavy drinking.

For men, on the other hand, five or more drinks consumed on an occasion is binge drinking, while heavy drinking is 15 or more drinks per week.

Santos advised patients to be aware of their body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure and to stay away from salty, fatty food and excessive alcohol during the holiday merry-making to prevent health complications.

“I think awareness is important kasi hindi dapat tayo nag-u-undo. Kailangan, hindi na natin papasukin, December pa lang… Mayroon kaming primary prevention advocacy. Kasama na doon, no to cholesterol, no to salty foods, no to alcohol,” she said.

(I think awareness is important and we shouldn’t just be undoing things. We should instead not allow complications to come in starting December… We have a primary prevention advocacy. This includes no to cholesterol, no to salty foods, no to alcohol.)

“What’s important is knowing your numbers… If you get regular checkups with your doctors, know that your blood pressure is not elevated… Know your numbers for sugars. Know your numbers for weight,” Santos said.

“It's really being more aware and knowing that there are things we can do to modify the risks,” she added.

In January 2025, the DOH reported at least 300 cases of stroke that happened during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The DOH regularly issues advisories for hospitals during the Yuletide season due to the increased risk of HHS cases as a result of excessive food and alcohol intake. — JMA, GMA Integrated News