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Dieticians and nutritionists have been urged to intensify education on diseases that are diet-related (as a result of unhealthy lifestyle), considering the alarming rate at which they are claiming lives.

The Assistant Chief Technical Officer of Nutrition at the La General Hospital in Accra, Ms Agatha Klevor-Gator, who made the call, expressed worry about the high rate of diet-related and lifestyle ailments.

She explained that diet-related and lifestyle diseases, which include cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases, were among the world’s leading causes of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year, and the numbers keep rising.

According to the World Heart Federation, 23 million people are expected to die from cardiovascular diseases annually by 2030. 

Speaking at a sensitisation programme organised by the Nutrition Department of the La General Hospital for patients and clients of the hospital in Accra on healthy diet, Ms Klevor- Gator said it was the responsibility of professional dieticians and nutritionists to educate the public on the right foods to take at the right time, since most people were ignorant of its associated health challenges.

Risk

She explained that diet-related diseases occurred as a result of adopting unhealthy lifestyles in relation to what went into the body.

According to the National Cardiothoracic Centre, more than eight per cent of adults in Ghana are currently hypertensive and diabetic as a result of the increased adoption of unhealthy lifestyles.

The nutritionist said the recent high rates of death among many adults were attributable to high cholesterol level, hypertension and diabetes which caused heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular and chronic diseases. 

She further noted that the risk factors of the cardiovascular diseases included the high intake of fatty and oily foods, sugar and salt which caused the high level of cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes.

For instance, she said, while some people fancied oil settling on top of soup and stews, taking in lots of sugar and salts, others were also addicted to packaged drinks which contained high levels of sugar. 

Adopt healthy lifestyle

To ensure a healthy living and the avoidance of risk factors, Ms Klevor-Gator stressed that “we have loads of natural fruits and vegetables which contain the natural nutrients which even fight and prevent certain diseases and enable the body to grow well, and that is what should be encouraged”.

She also cautioned against the intake of frozen water after eating oil foods, saying: “It is very dangerous since the iced water cools the oil to make it fat.”

She called for positive preventive actions like eating healthy diets, avoiding tobacco use and alcohol, maintaining healthy weight and exercising regularly.