As part of its World Heart Day celebrations, Flora and Flora pro.activ held a series of public talks based on the theme “Love your Heart” in a bid to increase awareness on the risks and prevention of heart disease. David Titman, Flora Brand Manager, Unilever UK, reported that more than 250 people attended the seminars, showing that Maltese people want to know more about preventive measures and the risk of cholesterol.

The talks were delivered by senior cardiac surgeon Alex Manche and Jeremy Ellul, who tackled the importance of healthy diet.

To highlight ways that people can “love their hearts”, Mr Alex Manchè presented an animated presentation showing the importance of preventing risks. “Regular exercise, even a brisk 30-minute walk a day, or commuting on foot instead of using the car, help to slow down the narrowing of arteries to the heart, encourages weight control and reduces high blood pressure,” said Mr Manche`. “In addition, managing daily stress and avoiding smoking help to maintain a healthy heart.”

Participants had the opportunity to ask various questions about diets and other heart related problems.

Raised cholesterol can affect anyone. In fact, the World Heath Organisation estimated that as many as two out of every three adults in the world have raised cholesterol. Fortunately, Flora pro.activ is clinically proven to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by 10-15 per cent in just three weeks when moving to a healthy diet. All Flora pro.activ products are enriched with plant sterols, the key active cholesterol lowering ingredient. Eating these kinds of enriched foods is one of the most effective ways to lower cholesterol without medication. In fact, no food lowers cholesterol more than Flora pro.activ.

All those individuals who attended the seminars had the possibility of tasting the Flora pro.activ UHT milk and Flora pro.activ mini yoghurt drinks. Participants also received a voucher entitling them to a free venous cholesterol test, sponsored by HSE Laboratory Services and St. Philip’s Hospital, Sta Venera. They are reminded to contact St Philip’s Hospital on Tel. 21 44-2211 ext 413 for an appointment by not later than 20 November. Flora and Flora pro.activ products are produced by Unilever UK, and distributed locally by M&Z (Marketing) Ltd.