Heart disease is widely regarded as the number one killer today. According to the National Centre for Health Statistics 2016, heart disease has caused the death of over 633,842 people in the United States of America. And the number is on the rise.
Nestle Malaysia, in collaboration with the IJN Foundation, the charity arm of Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), hosted the ‘Walk-A-Sunday’ on Sunday, August 20 at Polo Ground, Ipoh. The objective was to create awareness on the dangers of heart disease; cholesterol in particular.
“Walk-A-Sunday is the second outstation event we’ve organised, the other was in Kuantan two weeks ago. Planning the walk wasn’t difficult, as we’d organised it before. However, this is the first one stressing on heart disease,” said a representative from IJN.
The event was targeted at individuals who are 18 years and above, and regulars of the park.
Ms Shelly, who participated in the same event in 2005, said, “The turnout was larger compared to the previous. There are many activities such as product samplings, games and cholesterol checks.”
One of the leading causes of coronary heart disease is excessive cholesterol in the bloodstream, often called the ‘silent killer’. However, not all cholesterol are created equal namely, LDL and HDL. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is said to be the ‘bad’ cholesterol whereas High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is the ‘good’ cholesterol that ameliorates the ‘bad’ one’s effects.
Nestle’s commitment to improving the lives of the community will soon be realised with another major event in the pipeline, the ‘World Heart Month: Walk-A-Mile’ scheduled in September. Participation is free and no registration is required.
Jack Foo
