Prof. Dike Ojji, Lead Researcher, Cardiovascular Research Unit, University of Abuja, has described high intake of salts as main driver of causing high blood pressure, a disease that leads to cardiovascular diseases.
Ojji said this on Wednesday at a news conference, organised by the Coalition for Healthy Food Advocacy and the National Sugar-Sweeting Beverages Tax Coalition in Abuja.
According to him, hypertension is the number one risk factor that affects over 20-30 per cent of Nigerians. It can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart attack, chronic kidney disease and other cardiovascular diseases.
“One of the factors that is causing the burden of hypertension is high intake of salts. Our food is becoming very salty because we are depending so much on processed food, which contains a lot of salt in most locations.
“Because they have to be salted to be preserved. That’s one thing that happens with processed food. In the research we carried out with other institutions through what we call the Nigerian Student Study.”
Ojji, the cardiovascular researcher revealed that the Nigerian Student Study comprised researchers from the University of Abuja, Washington University in St. Louis in the U.S., Northwestern University in Chicago, George Institute, University of New South Wales in Australia.
“We found out that on the average, Nigerians are consuming, that is daily, each person about 3.8 grammes of sodium, which is far above what is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“The WHO recommends about 2 grammes, and we are consuming 3.8, which is about twice that.
“So, this is one of the main drivers of high blood pressure. Other drivers include sedentary lifestyles and obesity. And obesity also is related to what we eat.
“The more calories you take, the greater the tendency to add weight. And most of these calories come from ultra-processed food, like sodas.
“The major causes of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria, are obesity and diabetes mellitus. You cannot separate both of them.
According to Ojji, diabetes and obesity are two closely linked risk factors that drive cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria. It is said that about 5.8 per cent of Nigerians are living with diabetes mellitus.
“The rise in this condition is fuelled by excessive take of foods that are very high in calories.
“In addition to physical inactivity, we are becoming less active. Unlike our grandparents and great-grandparents that went to the farm, rode bicycles, walked to the farm, and burnt out a lot of calories, and even ate better food than we are eating today.
“Many of these calories are from ultra-processed foods, such as sugary sodas. We call it salt drink. In the U.S. they call it sodas,” the medical expert said.
According to him, energy drinks have become the delight of some people now, especially the young ones.
“The convenience meals, like frozen pizza, instant noodles, and processed meals, like nuggets, sausages, and hot dogs which were, before this, an alien to us but with westernisation, they are coming in a lot of fast food joints now.
“This makes it possible for people to easily eat these foods, which are really ultra-processed foods. The other major cause of cardiovascular diseases is high cholesterol in the blood. Many times we call it dyslipidaemia.
“The dyslipidaemia is equivalent to high fat cholesterol. And it’s a major contributor to heart attack in our environment, or what we call ischemic heart disease, and also stroke.”
Ojji said elevated cholesterol levels cause injury to the walls of the blood vessels that supply the brain and the heart, leading to narrowing through what they called arteriosclerosis.
“So, the blood vessels become narrow, and eventually get blocked. And when they get blocked, the portion of the brain or the heart they’re supplying will die off.
“That’s where a person can have a stroke, or have a heart attack,” he said.
According to him, a major cause of high cholesterol is consumption of ultra-processed foods.
“These foods often contain what we call industrial trans fats, and additives that injure the walls, and then make it faster for the blood vessels to get blocked, narrowed, and get blocked.”
The cardiovascular researcher said for Nigeria to make advancements in prevention of cardiovascular diseases, it needs structural policies that would protect the people from excessive salt which drives high blood pressure, trans fats, and ultra-processed foods.
Also speaking, Dr Jerome Mafeni, Technical Advisor, Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), said the coalition opposed to the fortification of the ultra-processed foods.
Mafeni said,”For the simple truth that when you fortify ultra-processed products, it will lead to over-consumption of those products.
“This is because by fortifying these, you are indirectly or even directly telling people consume more of this to get the macro-nutrients.
“We are also saying that when we fortify ultra-processed food, they cannot and will never replace the nutritional value of wholesome organic foods.
“Ultra-processed food lacks the natural fibre, the antioxidants, protective compounds that are inherent and are found in our diet.”
NAN
