DOH discourages use of food supplements

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BAGUIO CITY – Nephrologist Virginia B. Mangati has strongly discouraged the use of food supplements, saying that the “Alternative medicine lacks research and therefore not recommended”.

Another reason Mangati cited was that the food supplements carried the “no approved therapeutic claims” and therefore should not be considered for medications.

Mangati also cautioned on the intake of energy drinks as these could contribute to kidney failure due to its high creatinine content.

“Check your kidneys before taking energy drinks”, Mangati maintained.

Based on a health research conducted in Northern Luzon by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) in 2006-2010, it has been noted that non-communicable or degenerative diseases such as kidney diseases, peptic ulcer and diabetes outnumber infectious diseases as the leading causes of mortality in the region.

“The cost of treatment is also expensive,” Mangati said, “because it takes a minimum of five years of dialysis to restore a patient’s health due to damaged kidneys.

Some even take as long as 20 years of dialysis.

Healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, and health education are still the best prevention and maintenance for healthy kidneys”, she added.

Mangati announced the National Kidney and Transplant Institute’s celebration of National Kidney Month this June with the theme “Malusog na Bato, Yaman at Buhay Ko.”