A United States-based professor of pediatrics, Dr. Benjamin Udoka Nwosu, has cautioned Nigerians against excessive eating habits, warning that consuming unusually large quantities of food can place dangerous pressure on vital organs in the body.
Nwosu spoke during an interview on 90MinutesAfrica with Rudolf Okonkwo, where he discussed his research work on pediatric diabetes and other health-related concerns.
The medical expert, who serves as Chief of Endocrinology at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York, explained that eating meals meant for several people could expose individuals to serious health complications.
“When an individual eats a large meal normally meant for multiple people, the body organs are overworked,” he said.
“The liver will go into an overdrive trying to detoxify the high amount of toxins present, the kidneys will work harder to excrete the waste products, and the pancreas will have to secrete enormous amounts of insulin to prevent hyperglycemia.”
According to him, constant pressure on the pancreas may eventually result in insulin resistance and diabetes-related complications.
“The pancreas can no longer even make the biologically required insulin products. And once that happens, things just go haywire from there,” he said.
Nwosu also spoke about the difficulties researchers face in finding a permanent cure for diabetes. He noted that the disease involves several interacting genes, unlike many illnesses linked to a single cause.
He advised people to maintain a healthy body weight and avoid obesity in order to reduce the chances of triggering genes associated with diabetes.
The professor further urged the Nigerian government to establish a nationwide structure for diabetes management and awareness.
“There has to be a template for managing diabetes in Nigeria,” Nwosu said. “There should be a minimum benchmark which includes checking the blood sugar level of anybody who presents themselves in any hospital in the country, and anyone with high blood sugar must be placed on some minimum form of care.”
He added that such measures could attract more investment and support into the healthcare sector if properly implemented.
Nwosu also appealed to the government to encourage local insulin production through tax incentives and subsidies for manufacturers. He stressed the need for a coordinated national programme that would be properly supervised and evaluated.
