Excessive salt intake leads to stroke -Experts

Medical experts from the United states of America have raised the alarm over increasing cases of hypertension and diabetes in Nigeria and called on the government to arrest the trend.

They raised the alarm during a free medical intervention in Ogun East Senatorial District  organised by Senator Gbenga Kaka for people in his constituency.

The team, led by Dr. Abdul-rasheed Abassi and Dr. ‎Tunde Adenuga, while speaking with journalists at the end of the six-day exercise, said a majority of Nigerians were living with chronic diseases without knowing the implications.

Abassi, who’s the medical director US-based Sisimi Medical Foundation,  said, “Most of those attended to have cases of hypertension and diabetes, and if  it is not controlled, would lead to untimely deaths.”

He added that this trend was similar to what obtained in some other African countries.

He advised Nigerians to refrain from excessive intake of salt, which he explained, made people prone to hypertension and diabetes.

He said,”We need to watch the intake of salt; for those of us who are Africans, we need to avoid it. If one continues to take excessive salt, one’s blood pressure will go up, and that leads to stroke.”

Abassi recommended organic foods that are processed without fertilizers or chemicals but his concern was the way, the amount and the time people eat them.

While he warned people not to consume carbonhydrate after 2pm, he added that the rationale behind this “is that it takes about six to eight hours  before these foods start to digest.”

Abassi  appealed to the Federal Government and other stakeholders in the health sector ‎ for massive enlightenment programme and an action plan to control such chronic ailments.

On his part, Kaka called for a collaborative approach to health care delivery in the country.

No fewer than 5,000  people from  Ijebu-Igbo, Sagamu, Iperu, Ijebu Ode and Isara benefitted from the free health. Punch