Network For Health Raises Alarm Over Poor Diets, Rising Heart Diseases

The Network for Health Equity & Development (NHED) has raised concerns over the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria, attributing the trend largely to unhealthy diets and lifestyle choices among citizens.

At a parley with editors in Abuja on “Cardiovascular Health and Healthy Food Environment Priorities in Nigeria”, the country director of NHED, Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, said the organisation is working to correct misleading information often promoted through food product advertisements.

Sokpo explained that NHED, a Nigerian-owned and operated organisation, is committed to promoting public health through accurate information on nutrition and healthy living.

According to him, a healthy population is critical to national development and solicited the media support for NHED to promote healthy nutrition among Nigerians.

In a presentation at the event, NHED’s technical director Health and Development, Jerome Mafeni, highlighted the alarming rate of deaths among Nigerians under the age of 60 from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), noting that such illnesses are largely linked to lifestyle and dietary habits.

He said the organisation focuses on public health and nutrition in Nigeria because “There can be no nation without healthy people. There can be no elections to choose leaders if the people are sick, and no vibrant economy can thrive with an unhealthy population.”

Mafeni identified excessive consumption of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats as major contributors to cardiovascular diseases. He warned that high salt intake, including the use of seasoning cubes and additional table salt, increases the risk of hypertension, which can lead to kidney failure and heart attacks.

He also expressed concern over rising sugar consumption, particularly among children. According to him, many infants are introduced early to sugar-laden foods such as powdered milk, cereals, carbonated drinks, and processed fruit juices, contributing to obesity and early-onset diabetes.

“Diabetes is killing many Nigerians, even at young ages. The pancreas becomes overwhelmed due to excessive sugar intake,” Mafeni said.

The expert further cautioned against excessive consuming saturated fats and trans fatty acids, which are commonly found in palm oil and highly processed foods. He explained that these substances contribute to the narrowing of blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

Mafeni noted that trans fats, often used in fast food preparation, are also linked to cancer due to their role in abnormal cell growth.

To curb the rising health crisis, he advised Nigerians to moderate their intake of salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats and to pay closer attention to food labels.

NHED, he said, is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to launch a nationwide campaign to improve awareness of the nutritional content of packaged foods.

The campaign will promote the clear display of warning labels indicating levels of sugar, saturated fats, and trans fats in food products.

Mafeni, however, stressed the need for increased government funding for NAFDAC, noting that the agency is currently overstretched and unable to effectively monitor all sectors of the food industry.

While acknowledging government efforts to regulate multinational companies to reduce trans fats, he noted that small- and medium-scale enterprises, which dominate Nigeria’s food sector, still lag behind in compliance.

He urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of reading food labels and called for such information to be clearly written in English and translated into major local languages to ensure wider understanding.