How Junk Food, Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs Are Killing Nigerians – Experts

The everyday choices many Nigerians make about what they eat, drink, smoke and consume are increasingly posing a serious threat to their health and survival. From highly processed foods and sugary drinks to excessive alcohol consumption, tobacco use and drug abuse, unhealthy lifestyles are taking a heavy toll on the body, fuelling chronic diseases, damaging vital organs and contributing to premature deaths. PATIENCE IVIE IHEJIRIKA writes that while the effects of these habits may remain hidden for years, their consequences are increasingly visible in Nigeria’s rising burden of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and liver and kidney disorders.

Life-threatening illnesses such as kidney failure, liver cirrhosis, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension are on the rise in Nigeria, with health experts warning that the increasing consumption of junk foods, alcohol, tobacco, sugary drinks and illicit drugs is fueling the public health crisis, which already contributes to nearly one-third of all deaths in the country.

Once considered “diseases of the rich,” these conditions now cut across all demographics, robbing families of breadwinners, pushing households into poverty, and overwhelming the nation’s fragile health system.

The causes, experts said, are not just in the genes but on our plates, in our cups and in our hands as ultra-processed foods, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are fueling a non-communicable disease (NCD) epidemic that the country is dangerously unprepared to fight.

Speaking on the increasing prevalence of these diseases among young Nigerians, the past President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Francis Faduyile, blamed the trend on drug abuse, unsafe herbal concoctions, and poor lifestyle choices.

Prof. Faduyile warned that the widespread availability and misuse of both conventional and herbal drugs were placing vital organs under severe strain.

“Every drug we take passes through the kidneys for excretion, except for a few that are expelled through faeces. If a drug is harmful to the kidneys, it can cause long-term damage,” he said.

He told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the deregulation of herbal medicines has worsened the situation, as many concoctions sold in kiosks and roadside stalls contain unknown and potentially harmful substances.

“All the things we drink and eat pass through two key organs: the liver for metabolism and the kidney for excretion. When these substances are toxic, they can cause irreversible damage,” he explained.

On liver health, Prof. Faduyile noted that hepatitis infections remain the leading cause of liver disease in Nigeria. However, he warned that alcohol and drug abuse, along with toxic herbal preparations, are now triggering earlier onset of liver damage and liver cancer. “It’s a double injury. The liver, already weakened by hepatitis, succumbs faster when repeatedly exposed to harmful substances,” he said.

He further cautioned that drug abuse, including tramadol, glue-sniffing, and other illicit substances, is placing dangerous stress on the heart. “Many of these drugs are cardiogenic, making the heart work faster and harder. Over time, this can lead to hypertension, heart failure, and strokes, now increasingly seen among younger age groups,” he warned.

He also debunked the notion that e-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes, citing research that shows they carry their own serious health risks. “Whether it’s cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or other substances smoked, they get absorbed into the bloodstream, overstimulate the brain and heart, and eventually damage vital organs,” he said.

Prof. Faduyile urged urgent public health interventions, including stricter regulation of herbal and conventional medicines, aggressive anti-drug campaigns targeting young people, and a revival of vaccination programmes to curb hepatitis and other preventable diseases.

Corroborating this, Dr. Ameh Ojonugwa, a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that alcohol consumption and the use of unregulated herbal medicines are significant contributors to liver disease.

“Some patients present with acute liver injury. These medicines often lack proper dosing and can cause severe damage,” he warned.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), NCDs now account for one in three deaths in Nigeria. Families often sell land, deplete savings, or take on crushing debt to pay for treatment.

Public health advocates warn that the more insidious threat today comes from sugary drinks and junk foods, marketed aggressively, consumed daily, and linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and early death.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are beverages containing added sugars in various forms, including corn syrup, fructose, glucose, honey, lactose, malt syrup, and sucrose. They include carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened milk-based beverages, pre-sweetened tea and coffee, and fruit juice drinks.

Prof. Olukunmi Olaitan of the University of Ilorin said SSBs provide what he described as “empty calories” that can contribute to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. He noted that about 30 per cent of deaths in Nigeria are linked to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), many of which are associated with unhealthy diets.

Olaitan said Nigeria’s nutrition transition had increasingly shifted towards ultra-processed foods containing high levels of sugar, saturated fats and salt, warning that such dietary patterns were contributing to the growing burden of hypertension, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

“Unhealthy diets are directly linked to the rising cases of hypertension, stroke, diabetes and even cancer,” he said.

Hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, has increased significantly over the years, rising from 8.6 per cent in 1995 to 32.5 per cent in 2020, with an age-standardised prevalence of 38.1 per cent. Experts have associated the increase with factors including excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, salt and unhealthy fats.

Nigeria is also facing a significant cancer burden, with about 102,000 new cases and 72,000 deaths recorded annually. Experts have identified obesity, which can be driven by unhealthy dietary patterns, as one of the important risk factors for several cancers.

Stressing the importance of healthy eating in preventing and managing NCDs, a public health expert, Dr Joseph Ekiyor, said a balanced diet could help regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels while reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Ekiyor, citing World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, advised that free sugars should make up less than 10 per cent of total daily energy intake, adding that reducing consumption to below five per cent could provide additional health benefits.

He also recommended that total fat intake should not exceed 30 per cent of daily energy intake, while salt intake should be limited to less than 5 grams per day. He urged Nigerians to consume at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily.

“Whole grains, legumes, nuts and unprocessed foods should form the basis of a healthy diet,” he added.

The National Action on Sugar Reduction (NASR), a coalition of health organisations, said Nigeria ranks among the world’s highest consumers of soft drinks.

According to the coalition, Nigeria was ranked the fourth-highest soft-drink-consuming country globally and seventh in per-capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks in 2019, with an estimated 498 8-ounce servings consumed annually.

NASR also estimated that 38.7 million litres of soft drinks are sold annually in Nigeria, arguing that the high consumption contributes to the country’s growing burden of NCDs.

The coalition further said Nigerians spend about $4.5 million annually on diabetes treatment, noting that diabetes is only one of several NCDs associated with unhealthy diets and lifestyles. It added that NCDs, including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases, account for about 29 per cent of deaths in Nigeria.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has previously raised concerns over the growing health burden associated with sugar-sweetened beverages, particularly diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the rising burden of SSB-related diseases was also placing increasing pressure on the healthcare system, with treatment costs escalating sharply.

Drug use

Nigeria is facing a significant drug-use crisis, with an estimated 14.4 per cent of the population aged 15 to 64 reported to be using drugs, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The figure translates to about 14.3 million Nigerians within the age bracket who use drugs.

A former director at the ministry, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, said about three million of those affected were living with drug use disorders. He added that women account for roughly one in every four drug users, representing an estimated 3.5 million female drug users.

Anyaike further disclosed that more than 40 per cent of people classified as high-risk drug users need treatment but are unable to access the necessary services.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Moji Adeyeye, said the consequences of drug supply and consumption extend beyond individuals who use drugs, with significant health, social and economic implications for families, communities and the country.

She identified cannabis as the most commonly used illicit drug in Nigeria, noting that an estimated 10.8 per cent of the population, or about 10.6 million people, had used cannabis within the previous year.

Adeyeye also said the average age at which people in the general population begin using cannabis is 19 years, highlighting concerns over early exposure to substance use and its potential long-term consequences.

Tobacco

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that tobacco use harms nearly every organ in the body and is linked to a wide range of life-threatening conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses.

Data from 2018 showed that Nigerians consumed more than 20 billion sticks of cigarettes annually, with tobacco use estimated to contribute to about 30,000 deaths each year.

A Chief Consultant Pulmonologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Kingsley Osagie, told LEADERSHIP Weekend that smoking significantly increases the risk of chronic respiratory conditions, including rhinosinusitis, persistent sore throat, asthma attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

According to him, smokers are also at increased risk of developing several forms of cancer, particularly cancers of the lips, tongue, throat and lungs.

“Smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, and at least 250 are known to cause cancer,” he said.

Osagie also highlighted some of the less recognised health consequences of tobacco use, noting that smoking can damage the pancreas and contribute to diabetes. He added that its effects on blood vessels could increase the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular complications.

The economic consequences of tobacco use are also substantial. A 2023 study published in Population Medicine, titled “Economic burden of tobacco consumption in Nigeria, 2013–2020: A prevalence-based attributable-risk approach,” found that Nigeria continued to bear a significant financial burden from tobacco-related diseases, including stroke, heart disease and diabetes.

The study estimated that tobacco-related illnesses accounted for a substantial share of Nigeria’s health expenditure during the eight years. Smoked tobacco accounted for the largest share of the economic burden, estimated at $9.37 billion, while smokeless tobacco accounted for an additional $749.66 million.

Overall, the study estimated the total economic burden of tobacco consumption at about $9.45 billion between 2013 and 2020, equivalent to approximately 0.28 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the period.

Alcohol

Available estimates indicate that Nigeria’s recorded alcohol consumption stood at about 3.78 litres of pure alcohol per person in 2020, although figures based only on recorded sales may not fully capture consumption of locally produced or unrecorded alcoholic beverages.

Previous studies have also identified substantial differences in alcohol consumption according to sex and place of residence, with harmful drinking reported to be more prevalent in rural areas than urban communities.

The 2024 NDHS findings reinforce the gender dimension, showing that alcohol consumption among Nigerian men aged 15–49 was more than twice the rate recorded among women.

The survey’s findings are particularly significant against the backdrop of evidence that men globally bear a much greater burden of alcohol-related mortality. WHO reported that alcohol was responsible for 6.7 per cent of all deaths among men globally in 2019, compared with 2.4 per cent among women.

The health consequences of alcohol, WHO stressed, are influenced not only by the quantity consumed but also by drinking patterns, frequency and the amount consumed on individual occasions. It noted that most alcohol-related harm comes from heavy episodic or heavy continuous drinking.

The growing burden of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and other non-communicable diseases in the country is increasingly exposing the deadly consequences of unhealthy lifestyles.

From excessive consumption of junk foods and sugar-sweetened beverages to alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, everyday choices are taking a heavy toll on the health and productivity of Nigerians, while placing additional pressure on families and an already stretched healthcare system.

Confronting these lifestyle-related risks today could mean fewer premature deaths, lower healthcare costs and a healthier population in the years ahead.