By Victoria Nnenna Ibezundu, YeyeNews.com, September 2, 2021
A medical practitioner has expressed his frustration with his patients, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), and the whole country for their continuing heavy consumption of noodles despite his warning since 1998.
Dr. Samuel Ajayi, the Chief Medical Officer and Director of The Good Shepherd Hospital, Isolo, Lagos, made this known to YeyeNews.com reporter who happened to visit a friend admitted to Dr. Ajayi’s hospital.
During the visit, another patient admitted to the hospital was heard making a call to his family to bring food for him. He had said to the person on the phone to make it three packs of Indomie and then changed his mind immediately and said to make it two packs of Indomie and two packs of Supreme Noodles.
Fortunately or unfortunately for the patient, Dr. Ajayi who was doing his rounds overheard and came into the room with anger and frustration written all over his face.
“You have high blood pressure, and you want to eat four packs of noodles? Are you out of your mind? You’re 41-years, you’re a heart attack and stroke candidate. Maybe you need to get another doctor because I can’t get high bp just because I’m trying to help you control your bp”, Dr. Ajayi said in a high-pitched voice.
Afterwards YeyeNews.com reporter approached Dr. Ajayi for a chat.
Dr. Ajayi, who has been practicing medicine in Nigeria since 1990, said he had seen how his patient over the years developed high blood pressure and heart diseases; some had stroke, some heart attack, diabetes, kidney problems, and so on. He attributed the spike in Nigerian’s unwitting consumption of processed foods like snacks, white bread bleached flour, and, in huge part, noodles.
He said there had been uptick in the number of children with high blood pressure and he had treated an alarming number.
According to him, one pack of different brands of noodles in Nigeria contained at least 800mg of salt as written in the nutrition facts. He believed that the number was fictitious and that actual amount – if NAFDAC should do their job – would be above 1,000mg per pack. “The danger is in the seasoning enclosed in the pack with the noodles”, he pointed out.
He continued that the maximum daily salt consumption of an adult should be less than 2,000mg per day. That means that an individual who ate two packs of noodles should not consume anymore salt for the day. “But so many Nigerians are consuming 3, 4, 5 packs every day! That’s super unhealthy”, he said in exasperation.
He asked YeyeNews.com reporter to help spread the message. He advised Nigerians to be aware that there are many short-term effects but that and the long-term effects are all dangerous: headaches, heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attack, kidney disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, stroke, chances of enlarged heart muscle.
He said he was not against people eating noodles in general rather he believed the seasonings (those small packs inside noodle bags or cups) which are heavy in salt should either be discarded, substituted, or that NAFDAC should force manufacturers to reduce the salt. He advised Nigerians to eat either without those seasoning or substitute with other local seasonings or ingredients less in salt or sodium and palatable to one’s taste. He said parents whose kids could not do without noodles should put their feet down and have them combine noodles with beans, which are cheap, and throw in other local ingredients like tomatoes and vegetables.
“I have raised this issue with NMA many times and no one pays attention. NMA should take it up and force NAFDAC to evaluate these processed foods, especially noodles that have become the staple food in Nigeria. Why? Because noodles have killed more Nigerians than Boko Haram, diseases, and accidents put together. People are dropping dead. Noodles are killing people!”, he lamented.
“Almost every Nigerian knows someone who died of kidney issues, or someone suffering from kidney issues. We don’t have enough dialysis centers”, he concluded with palms upturned.
