Federal Ministry of Health has warned Nigerians to stop consuming margarine due to its high trans-fat content.
The director, family health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Salma Anas Ibrahim, who gave the warning yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja, linked the increasing rate of heart problems in the country to consumption of unhealthy fats.
Trans fat, or trans-fatty acids, are unsaturated fatty acids that come from either natural or industrial sources.
Ibrahim said margarine is the common form of trans fat, saying that Nigerians should avoid it as much as they can. “The most common one is margarine which is so common. Nigerians like margarine, they will even ask you to send it to them even when they are abroad and they will tell you they want Nigerian margarine, that Nigeria margarine is trans fat, we should avoid it as much as we can,” she urged.
She cautioned Nigerians to be mindful of what they consume, saying that most people who are into the food business, especially bread making, cakes and other snacks use trans fat and that is what is causing heart problems.
“Unfortunately, a lot of unhealthy fats have infiltrated our markets and we are working with NAFDAC to ensure that we avoid these fats. Our fats are hydrogenated, this is very common to make them solid so that they don’t burn off when you burn them in the frying pan but unfortunately, most businesses, especially those that are in the business of food, they use the trans fat and this is what is mostly used today in bread making , in our cakes and several other snacks that we consume every day.
“So, we are urging Nigerians to be very careful and that trans fat is very dangerous to our health. This is what goes and causes a lot of problems to our circulation and we end up having a lot of heart problems. Nigeria has one of the highest cases of heart problems in the world and it’s all as a result of consumption of unhealthy fats. Most of the fats have dangerous cholesterol which is the bad fat,” she said.
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