A lawmaker known for her penchant for fitness advised Filipinos Sunday to go slow on their sugar intake as the price of sugar in the world and local markets continues to climb.

Sen. Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano, who is also known to advocate healthy diet, offered her “friendly advice,” saying it’s time Filipinos with a sweet tooth should start shifting to a healthier sugar-free diet.

Cayetano said doing so would lower the risk of hypertension and diabetes among adults and obesity in children.

“Pinoys are known as heavy, unrepentant sugar consumers,” Cayetano said.

“We always like our food and dishes sweetened without realizing that there’s a bitter side to our heavy sugar intake. It is, therefore, no surprise that there’s a high incidence of diabetes among our people,” she said.

Citing a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), Cayetano pointed out that diabetes ranks as the fourth leading cause of death in the world and eighth in the Philippines.

WHO also places the Philippines among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest prevalence of diabetes.

Cayetano expressed alarm over a report released by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) that showed the prevalence of obesity among school children increasing from 3.2 percent to 4.9 percent in 2003.

Cayetano said a 2009 report from the International Diabetes Federation placed Filipino adults with “Type 2” or acquired diabetes at 3.4 million out of a 51 million adult population, with 4.9 million more on the brink of developing the disease.

But even at this point, Cayetano urged the government to still support the local sugar industry.

Cayetano said she is concerned over the Arroyo government’s plan to flood the market with 150,000 metric tons of imported sugar, noting that while this will help stabilize supply and prices in the short-term, the move could also have long-term consequences on the domestic sugar industry.

“The government should look deeper into the problems of our sugar planters and millers, particularly how to help them reduce cost of production that has led to soaring sugar prices,” said Cayetano, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice.

While the Department of Trade and Industry’s plan for importation and the imposition of a suggested retail price (SRP) for sugar would help bring relief to consumers, the government must also consider how these strategies could hurt local millers and planters who have been reeling from the high cost of inputs, including imported fertilizers and pesticides.