A medical expert, Dr Bola Idowu of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) has warned Nigerians against high consumption of salt, saying that it is dangerous to health.
Idowu gave the warning in Ilorin on Friday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to him, high intake of salt raises high blood pressure which may lead to stroke, heart failure and heart attacks.
“A high salt diet can damage the lining of the stomach causing inflammation of the stomach, thereby increases the risk of stomach cancer and ulcer.
“Some people are very careless with the rate at which they consume salt. They are killing themselves gradually.
“Excess intake of salt will cause damage as it has more negative effect than the positive.
“Small amount of salts are essential for our health. Adults need less than one gramme per day and children need even less.
“High salt diet can disrupt the function of the kidneys and cause existing kidney disease to progress faster.
“Salt can raise the risk of developing diabetes by raising blood pressure, salt has a link with diabetes and not only sugar.’’
The doctor, however, called on parents to control the salt intake of their children as “it is dangerous for both adult and children’’.
“Diabetes and Asthmatic patients as well as people battling with unstable blood pressure should learn to consume less salt in order not to aggravate any disease,” he said.
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