By ABIEMWENSE MORU

Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, Country Director of the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), says non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension are increasingly affecting populations across Nigeria.

Sokpo spoke at a meeting with Health Editors on cardiovascular health and healthy food environment priorities in Nigeria, on Thursday in Abuja, highlighting growing concerns about diet-related health risks nationwide.

He said diet-related risk factors, including excessive salt consumption and limited consumer awareness about nutritional content of foods, significantly contributed to rising cases of cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable conditions.

According to him, improving food environments and ensuring consumers have clear; accessible nutrition information will support healthier choices and contribute to better public health outcomes across communities in Nigeria.

Sokpo attributed the rising cases to unhealthy diets, reduced physical activity and changing lifestyles, noting that many people now eat outside their homes more frequently instead of preparing healthier meals indoors.

He said NHED engaged media professionals to promote accurate public information, helping citizens understand links between diet, lifestyle and cardiovascular health while encouraging prevention and healthier living across communities.

According to him, stronger collaboration with journalists would ensure public information remained evidence-based and scientifically accurate, while countering misleading advertisements that promote unhealthy food products without highlighting long-term health consequences.

He warned that excessive consumption of products high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats could threaten public health, stressing that economic growth would suffer if citizens became too ill to remain productive.

Sokpo said the meeting aimed to strengthen collaboration between NHED and media organisations, ensuring journalists had reliable information to educate the public and support policies promoting healthier food systems.

Also speaking, Dr Jerome Mafeni, Technical Director of NHED, described journalists and editors as critical gatekeepers responsible for shaping public understanding of health issues.

He warned that Nigeria was facing a silent epidemic of non-communicable diseases, noting that many deaths among relatively young adults were linked to hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

Mafeni explained that, unlike infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases could not spread from person to person and were largely influenced by lifestyle choices, food consumption patterns, and exposure to environmental factors.

He identified excessive salt intake as a major contributor to hypertension, explaining that many Nigerian meals already contained high salt levels through seasoning cubes, processed ingredients and additional table salt.

He also warned about high sugar consumption from processed foods, beverages and sweetened products, noting that those dietary habits contributed to rising cases of obesity and diabetes across Nigeria.

Mafeni further highlighted health risks linked to saturated fats and industrially produced trans fats commonly found in fried foods, processed meals and reused cooking oils used in fast-food outlets.

According to him, repeated heating and reuse of cooking oil increases harmful trans fats in food, raising risks of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers among frequent consumers.

He said addressing those risks required stronger public awareness, supportive policies and improved food labelling systems that helped consumers easily identify products high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

Mafeni added that NHED was working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and regulatory agencies to promote clearer front-of-pack nutrition labelling to guide healthier consumer choices nationwide.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NHED is a not-for-profit organisation with a proven track record advocating for interventions that alleviate the suffering and death associated with poor health in Nigeria. (NAN)