‘Physical inactivity can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes’

Medical experts have advised Nigerians to maintain a healthy lifestyle as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes.

They also warned that lack of physical exercise and good nutrition posed danger to the health, thereby resulting to death.
While CVD accounts for about 38 per cent of death around the world, which is very common, and on the increase in Nigeria and other developing countries, experts stressed that unhealthy lifestyle exposes the human heart and immune system to the deadly disease.

Speaking at the SUNFIT 2016 Fitness and Health week, the General Manager of SUNFIT, Kelechi Ononiwu said the yearly programme, which was carried out in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos state, was to raise awareness on peoples’ consciousness towards their lifestyles and how they generally affect their health.

She said according to the test conducted in last year’s edition, over 78 per cent of people lived a sedentary lifestyle, about 50 per cent were tested obsessed, while over 30 per cent had blood pressure.

A Senior Consultant Cardiologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Casmir Amadi, said urbanisation accounted for unhealthy lifestyles as there are much vehicular movements, which deterred people from exercising their bodies, thereby exposing them to the heart disease in their prime.

He said, “Urbanisation accounts for these changing lifestyle. People who are in the village don’t have so much of the exposure we have here in the city. They walk long distances, which you and I don’t do here in the city, so we are physically inactive.

Amadi pointed out that children also run the risk of having the CVD and diabetes as they are exposed to junk food at an early stage, leading to childhood obesity.
“Once a child gets exposed to junk food early enough in their life, the chances that they will get bigger and once they become obese, they can start having diabetes very early in life, and diabetes and obesity are all CVD risk factors,” he said.

He, however, urged Nigerians to always engage in physical exercise daily .

Also speaking, a dietitian and Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire Nutrition & Diet Consulting Deborah Onoja said, CVD and diabetes, though deadly, could be prevented by maintaining a good nutritional status.

She maintained that apart from the physical exercise, which burns off the excessive calories consumed in the human body, a well-balanced dietary should be strictly adhered to, as it protects the heart and immune system from undergoing stress that results to CVD and diabetes.

Onoja further said that consumption of nutrients such as potassium, vitamins, proteins and adequate water helps the body organs cope with the stressful period.