‘Suya, Isi-ewu, others are killing Nigerians,’ Health Minister says

Adewole further identified local delicacies; suya, kilishi, isi-ewu and ngwo-ngwo as some of the foods which cause health problems for Nigerians.

The minister made the comments while giving a speech at an event organized by the Tristate Heart Foundation (THF) in Lagos.

“Sadly, there is widespread low consumption of proteins, fruits and vegetables and increasing patronage of fast food outlets by the population. There is also large promotion of sweetened products such as carbonated drinks, pastries, candies and other refined sugars, while excessive intake of salt is promoted by food additives such as monosodium glutamate common in delicacies such as suya, kilisi, isi-ewu, ngwo-ngwo, among others,” Adewole said.

“I can say without fear of contradiction that at least five out of 10 adults seated here tonight have elevated blood pressure and more than half of these are not aware of their situation.

“This is frightening because the dire consequence of neglected hypertension is stroke without warning. Unless we take drastic and sustained actions, we will keep counting losses,” he added.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) said, in October 2015, that suya, kilishi and other processed meats can cause cancer.