Herbalife Health Poll: 9 in 10 Filipinos ”highly concerned” about the potential diseases that an unhealthy lifestyle can cause

MANILA, Philippines - Nine in 10 Filipino consumers surveyed by global nutrition company Herbalife are “highly concerned” about the potential diseases that an unhealthy lifestyle can cause them, with the same number believing that simple lifestyle changes can help improve their overall well-being.

A good number of the respondents expressed willingness to adopt a healthy lifestyle; 79 percent said that they would cut down on unhealthy foods, 78 percent expressed their willingness to exercise more regularly, and 72 percent said they would make better nutrition choices.

“We welcome the results of the survey. It gives an understanding of Filipinos becoming even more health concious and self-aware that they need to make some lifestyle changes to improve their overall well-being. It also gives Herbalife an idea where we are needed, because as the survey revealed only four out of 10 would spend 10 to 30 minutes a day to make simple lifestyle changes,” said Rosalio Valenzuela, Herbalife Philippines General Manager.

The respondents, however, cited the following as the top obstacles to achieving a healthy lifestyle: lack of time for exercise (75 percent), lack of time to make proper nutrition choices (64 percent), and high cost of healthy food (62 percent).

The same health poll likewise showed that the top three aging-related concerns in the country were heart, brain, and eye health.

Better knowledge and understanding

 “The findings from the Herbalife survey clearly show that the majority of people in Asia Pacific that we questioned believe in the value of good nutrition and exercise as contributing to their overall well-being. We aim to play a greater role in providing practical tips and information to people to help them understand that the journey to a healthier, more active lifestyle is not difficult to achieve. With as little as 10 minutes a day, consumers can take positive steps to improve their nutrition and be more active, which will improve their overall well-being,” said William M. Rahn, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Herbalife Asia Pacific.

Herbalife conducted the survey in September 2015 in the lead-up to its Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour. It surveyed 1,200 respondents across six countries, including the Philippines, on perceptions towards their health and current lifestyle. Respondents from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand were likewise included in the survey.

Herbalife Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour

Now on its fourth year, the Herbalife Asia-Pacific Wellness Tour aims to deepen people’s practical understanding of the various aspects of living a healthy active lifestyle. Its previous tours in the past three years saw close to 60,000 participants across the region.

This year’s Wellness Tour will feature five members of the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board (NAB) visiting 14 markets and 21 cities across the Asia-Pacific in the month of October. They will share their expert views on how people can make use of the little time they have to make simple lifestyle changes that will enhance their well-being.

Herbalife’s NAB experts will likewise share their views on a wide range of health-related topics, including weight management, brain health and aging; heart health; immunology; and skin care at the medical symposia being held in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnamn.

The Herbalife NAB experts participating in this year’s Wellness Tour include Dr. David Heber, who incidentally will be coming to Manila, is a leading expert in the field of nutrition and named as one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” by Thomson Reuters in 2014 and considered one of “The Best Doctors in America”; Dr. Lou Ignarro, a Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 for his discovery of nitric oxide’s health benefits; Dr. Gary Small, a specialist in brain health and aging who has authored over 500 scientific works and has received numerous awards and honors, including the “Senior Investigator Award” from the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry; Dr. Marion Fltechner-Mors, a health nutrition specialist who is currently heading the nutrition and obesity research group at Ulm University, Germany; and Dr. Wang Jae Lee, a physician and academic specializing in immunology and a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine.

Dr. Heber, who is the founding Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, will be conducting a symposium for free to Filipino medical practitioners on October 23, 9am, at the Manila Hotel. The symposium will gather a group of 100 doctors, nurses, physical therapists and medical practitioners. The title of the symposium is “Obesity: More Than Just Being Overweight and Nutrition Forecast for 2020.” Seminars of Dr. Heber are recognized by US hospitals as part of Continuing Education Studies, which are often required of applicants. The following day, Oct. 24, Dr. Heber will be holding seminars for thousands of Herbalife Independent Members in the same hotel.

This is the first time Dr. Heber, who is also the Chairman of the NAB and the Herbalife Nutrition Institute, to conduct a seminar in Manila since the company was founded in the Philippines 22 years ago.

About Herbalife                                                                                                                        Herbalife is a 35-year-old global nutrition company that sells weight-management, nutrition and personal care products intended to support a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife products are sold in more than 90 countries to and through a network of independent members. The company supports the Herbalife Family Foundation and its Casa Herbalife program to help bring good nutrition to children. To learn more visit Herbalife.com. 

(press release)