Wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has urged Nigerians to adopt a healthy lifestyle and be mindful of what they eat to avoid toxic substances that could lead to cancer and other deadly non-communicable diseases.
She gave the advice at the 4th Annual Scientific and General Meeting, organised virtually by the Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria (SOLONg), themed: “Lifestyle Medicine- Healthcare Redefined.”
Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who is the founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), a non-governmental organisation raising awareness on cancer, further urged stakeholders to advocate healthy eating, noting that the country has the worst kind of menu.
She said, “I think avoiding toxic substances like tobacco and alcohol, which has to be something we approach through policy formulation”.
Also, the president of SOLONg, Dr Ifeoma Monye, revealed that deaths from NCDs are on a sharp rise in Africa and the World Health Organisation predicts that this is set to get worse, unless we act decisively in Africa.
Monye said the gathering is to advance discussions on what the stakeholders must do now to mitigate the healthcare emergency that is upon us.
She said, “In order to effectively deal with the menace of NCDs, we must deal with the root causes. This is what Lifestyle Medicine has come to accomplish.
“We are therefore standing together in our dedication to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease and rather than just treat the diseases that result from our lifestyle practices, which study after study has confirmed is down to our behavioural choices.”
