Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has confirmed that high content of Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) in public foods and other consumables are responsible for high cases of cardiovascular diseases that had led to the death of many Nigerians.
The association said it also ob- served that many Nigerians consume foods high in TFAs, knowingly or unknowingly, and that has had cumulative effect on their quality of health and longevity.
To this end, NMA leadership said it had launched a campaign that would improve the cardiovascular health of Nigerians and also raise public awareness on the deadly effect of TFAs in their foods.
Its President, Dr. Francis Faduyile, who addressed a stakeholders meeting organised to fine-tune measures for the project in Abuja, stressed the need for effective consensus on strategies that would eliminate TFAs from public available foods.
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He challenged them to reach a consensus that would, perhaps, push the Federal Government to ban the production, importation and distribution of consumables that contain high TFAs and save Nigerians from untimely death.
NMA National Strategic Programme Manager, Dr. Tonnie Okoye, told journalists that Nigerians have, over the years, fed its generations with fatty foods and that had been responsible for high level of obesity and non communicable diseases.
He said: “The success of the campaign will result in significant reduction in death that are related
to cardiovascular diseases. Findings have revealed that most of the deaths are caused by high toxic chemicals in public foods.”
He, thus, appealed to NAFDAC to support the call for a total ban on the foods that have high content of TFAs because of its negative effect on the health of Nigerians.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Christiana Adeyeye, who spoke through Ummulkhairi Bobboi, admitted that serious concerns had been raised about TFAs as major causes of cardiovascular diseases.
She assured the stakeholders that strong measures have been taken by the agency, with the support of all stakeholders, to eliminate foods and other consumables that have high content of TFAs.
