Chronic diseases hit young Filipinos
Here’s one more issue to add to current national concerns: Filipinos with chronic illnesses, from diabetes to cancer, are getting younger.
The latest National Nutrition Survey (NNS) of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute has found that 8.5 percent of Filipinos aged 20 years old and above have diabetes in 2023, higher than the 8.1 percent recorded in 2018 to 2019. It also found that two out of every 10 Filipino adults aged 20 to 59 were borderline diabetic or prediabetic, a condition where one has high blood sugar levels that could lead to diabetes in two or three years if left unchecked.
Given these numbers, health experts have called for regular diabetes screening starting at age 35. Endocrinologist Dr. Elaine Cunanan, vice president of the Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, said the ideal age for this was previously 40, but the need for early screening has increased because patients are getting younger.
Diabetes, per Cunanan, is the No. 1 cause of nontraumatic blindness and amputation not brought about by an accident. It can also affect many other organs and can lead to kidney, heart, and nerve diseases.
Better lifestyle choices
Last year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) listed diabetes as the fifth leading cause of death after ischaemic heart diseases, neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases, and pneumonia. Diabetes, whose common symptoms are frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurry vision, and slow-healing sores, caused 12,360 deaths or 6.1 percent of the total mortalities from January to April 2025.
“While the numbers reflect ongoing health challenges, they also remind us to take small steps toward better lifestyle choices, regular check-ups, and stronger support for community health,” PSA said in a social media post.
The 2023 NNS survey also revealed that obesity has become prevalent, with 57.1 percent of Filipinos aged 20 to 59 being either overweight or obese; this makes them more vulnerable to developing other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Even more worrying: obesity has become common among children, who could carry this condition to adulthood because of the habits that have caused it, such as poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. The 2026 Epidemiological Burden and Cost of Obesity in the Philippines study showed that the number of obese Filipinos could rise to 44.8 million by 2040 if current trends continue.
Prevention and early detection
Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon also recently pointed out that another disease, colorectal cancer, is no longer confined to older adults, but has been observed in patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. He cited several factors that have contributed to this, including increased consumption of processed foods, red meat, and low-fiber diets, rising obesity, and sedentary lifestyles.
These NCDs, however, are not just a matter of poor lifestyle choices, but have become a public health issue and pose a financial burden to millions of Filipinos. A report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme placed the economic cost of NCDs in the Philippines at P756.5 billion—in 2019. This amount would have increased exponentially over the past seven years, and the government must urgently push for prevention and early detection measures.
One proposal, through House Bill No. 8284, is to place front-of-package warning labels on food and beverages that exceed recommended limits for sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. It also wants to prohibit all forms of marketing of these products, especially those targeting children.
If passed into law, implementing agencies must ensure, however, that these labels will be easy to understand for the ordinary Filipino, who does not have the time to figure out jargon and who usually makes quick decisions when grocery shopping.
Food calorie counts
Another initiative worth emulating nationwide is a Quezon City ordinance that requires food establishments to indicate food calorie counts on their menus. The Department of Health has also endorsed the ordinance, which took effect in December last year.
Undoubtedly, the Filipino diet, which is typically high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fats, contributes to the high incidence of chronic illnesses. Add to this the realities Filipinos face in a fast-paced and highly modernized world, including sedentary work and constant stress, which encourage unhealthy lifestyles.
But NCDs like diabetes and obesity are preventable, and the government must do its part in helping the public make health-conscious and informed decisions that will improve their quality of life. By pushing for preventive, more than curative, care, it will not only protect Filipinos from financially draining medical conditions but also foster a more productive workforce and a healthy nation.
