Tuesday, August 29, 2017

MFGM: The Latest Breakthrough in IQ and EQ Development

A child’s first five years of life provides the most exciting moments for parents. Every triumph—from saying his first word and making his first step to dancing, singing, or telling a story—becomes a milestone worth celebrating because it shows how much potential the child can achieve in the future.

That is why most parents exert great efforts to provide proper nutrition that can help with their child’s physical and mental growth especially during the first five years of life when 90% of brain development happens. And the latest breakthrough in pediatric nutrition may just offer parents the help they need.

The milk component is known as MFGM, or milk fat globule membrane is a tri-layer complex component rich in proteins that have been proven in studies to support the cognitive development of infants. Another study reveals that MFGM contributes in the behavioural or EQ development of children.

Studies have shown that the introduction of MFGM in supplemental milk for infants and children can improve standard milk formula, making it closely similar with the gold standard in pediatric nutrition.

Tore Jasper Anderson, one of the leading experts on MFGM, said that the naturally-occurring milk compound will forever change the landscape of pediatric nutrition. “This is not just about replicating one of the crucial milk compounds. It is about successfully extracting MFGM and introducing it to milk formula to maximize its efficacy for the development of our children,” said Anderson.

The first five years of a child’s life are the most important in brain development. During this period, a child’s brain grows to 90 percent of its adult size, so providing nutrients and components that will support brain development is important.
 

A study published by Dr Niklas Timby of Umea University in Sweden further corroborated the positive effects of MFGM on cognitive development among infants. The study showed that infants fed with MFGM-enriched milk had significantly higher cognitive scores compared to infants who were fed a formula without MFGM. Also, this cognitive score was not different from result report for breastfed infants.

Another study of Timby on the effects of MFGM also showed that the compound is likewise beneficial to strengthening children’s immune system.  It was found that milk formula added with MFGM fraction have reduced the incidence of acute otitis media and episodes of bloody diarrhoea in infants.  A different study conducted by Genevieve Veereman-Wauters established that children who consumed formula enriched with MFGM demonstrated significantly improved parent-reported scores for behavioural regulation compared to children receiving control formula without MFGM enrichment2.

The benefits that MFGM provide truly ushers in a new era in pediatric healthcare and nutrition, giving parents and paediatricians more ways of helping prepare and protect children for tomorrow’s challenges. /PR

Friday, August 4, 2017

LIST: 2018 Philippine National Holidays

The Proclamation No. 269 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte declaring the regular holidays and special (non-working) days for the year 2018. There are ten regular holidays and six special non-working days.
Two additional non-working days were included to give more time to commemorate All Saints' Day and Christmas Day and promote domestic tourism. 

The regular holidays are:



January 1, 2018, Monday – New Year’s Day
March 29, 2018 - Maundy Thursday
March 30, 2018 - Good Friday
April 9, 2018, Monday– Araw ng Kagitingan 

May 1, 2018, Tuesday – Labor Day 

June 12, 2018, Tuesday – Independence Day

August 27, 2018, Monday – National Heroes Day 

November 30, 2018, Friday – Bonifacio Day

December 25, 2018, Tuesday – Christmas Day 
December 30, 2018, Tuesday – Rizal Day



Special (non-working) days:



February 16, 2018, Friday – Chinese New Year 

February 25, 2018, Sunday – EDSA Revolution Anniversary

March 31, 2018 – Black Saturday 
August 21, 2018, Tuesday – Ninoy Aquino Day 
November 1, 2018, Thursday – All Saints Day 

December 31, 2018, Monday – Last day of the year


Additional Special non-working days:

November 2, 2018 - All Soul's Day
December 24, 2018 - Christmas Eve 

Special holidays for the observance of Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha will be announced next year (2018).

AirAsia Expands Visayas Network with New Flights to Iloilo

 

AirAsia today announced it will operate three flights daily between Manila and Iloilo starting October 1. AirAsia Philippines CEO Captain Dexter Comendador said, “The addition of Manila – Iloilo route will further expand our domestic footprint in the Visayas region following our expansions in Cebu via the launch of international and domestic flights.

AirAsia’s signature low fares, superb service and seamless connectivity here in the country and across ASEAN including China, Australia, India and much more will facilitate travel aspirations of our guests from Western Visayas via Iloilo’s modern airport and help stimulate demand for travel and tourism.

To celebrate the new route, AirAsia is offering promo fares from as low as P999 now available for booking at www.airasia.com from today until August 27, 2017 for travel period between  October 1, 2017  to August 28, 2018. 

AirAsia flights between Manila and Iloilo will operate using the airline’s fleet of Airbus A320s that can accommodate up to 180 passengers.


Manila - Iloilo daily flight schedule.

AirAsia has expanded its Cebu operations last year with direct flights to Taipei and Singapore launched in November and domestic flights from Cebu to Davao, Boracay and Palawan introduced in April this year.  The airline has been servicing flights for Cebu – Incheon/Seoul and Cebu – Kuala Lumpur, and operates several flights between Manila and Cebu since 2013.

About Iloilo City:

Food is one of Iloilo’s biggest year-round attractions with La Paz Batchoy, a noodle soup made from pork and beef broth mixed with crisp pork skin and assorted organs, and fresh seafoods are among the must-try ones. The city is also home to many Spanish-colonial churches, grand vintage houses, and old commercial and institutional buildings.
The Iloilo Dinagyang Festival is one of the Philippines’ biggest religious and cultural festivals but equally exciting events include Paraw Regatta Festival, Jaro Fiesta and Chinese New Year.

Pristine beaches are located in Northern Iloilo where the islands of Gigantes, Concepcion, Ajuy, and Sicogon are among the most visited ones. The southern coast of Iloilo, meanwhile, boasts of well-preserved marine sanctuaries and sand beaches.

Keep up-to-date with AirAsia’s latest promotion and activities via Twitter (@AirAsiaFilipino), Facebook (www.facebook.com/airasiaph), Instagram (@AirAsiaFilipino), and on Viber public chat (@AirAsiaPh).