Deputy Country Director of International Medical Associates for Global Health Empowerment (IMAGHE), Samuel Ntiamoah, has cautioned people against consuming highly salted foods such as ‘koobi’. During an appearance on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning Show, he emphasized that sodium, commonly known as salt, significantly contributes to the development of hypertension in individuals of all ages.
He warned that modern lifestyle changes have decreased the age range of people at risk from their 50s to their 30s and even 20s in some cases. “These days, we tend to have a more sedentary lifestyle. The kind of food we eat, the activities we engage in, and even our choices have an impact. You can see that almost every weekend, young people are using certain drugs. This has lowered the age range significantly. It used to be that when you heard about these things, you thought about people who were 50 years or older. While ageing still plays a role, lifestyle has become the most significant factor recently.”
He went ahead to talk about how our diets influence how blood pressure in any way. Some of the risk factors he mentioned are processed foods, smoking, drinking as well as highly salted foods, especially ‘koobi’. Mr. Ntiamoah explained that, although there was no direct cause for the rise and drop of blood pressure, abusing drugs and alcohol as well as eating lots of salty and processed foods increases the risk by put pressure on the heart and other organs.
He advised that we look out for sodium content on the packing of foods we buy as well as make sure that we stay within the required sodium intake range which is about only 2 tablespoons per day. He went ahead to discourage the addition of salt to already cooked food.
“Some people right on the table they want to add salt to the already cooked meal and start eating. These are things we need to be mindful of. They stress on the heart and the kidneys which work hand in hand. The kidneys are working hard to clean out the waste that is already in the system and we are busy bugging them with more.”
He beseeched viewers to start reducing their salt intake once they start nearing the 30-year-old year bracket. The medical practitioner advised that even if they are to be taken it should be in moderation along with regular exercise like walking or even jumping rope.
