Dr Thomas Agbemaple, a Senior Physician Specialist at the 37 Military Hospital, has warned that excessive consumption of foods high in unhealthy fats like Jollof, fried rice, and potato chips increases stroke risk.
The Physician Specialist urged Ghanaians to adopt healthier diets and lifestyles to reduce the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
According to Dr Thomas Agbemaple, excessive consumption of foods high in unhealthy fats, coupled with high blood pressure, significantly contributes to cholesterol buildup in the arteries, which increases the risk of stroke and heart attacks.
Dr Thomas Agbemaple stressed that prevention should be prioritised over treatment, particularly as stroke cases continue to rise among men in particular.
He disclosed that reducing the buildup of cholesterol in the walls of the arteries by improving one’s eating habits significantly lowers the likelihood of suffering a stroke
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, August 26, Dr Agbemaple stated, ““Changing our diet, by de-emphasising fried foods, you know, jollof here, fried rice, potato chips, and the typical Western diet, we will be making a lot of headway in reducing the incidence of cholesterol deposition in the walls of our arteries and, therefore, making it very, very unlikely that one will become a victim of stroke”.
Also, Dr Thomas Agbemaple disclosed that a significant proportion of stroke cases reported at health facilities are linked to lifestyle choices, particularly dietary habits.
He revealed that eight out of every ten people who suffer a stroke experience the ischaemic form of the condition when a blood vessel supplying the brain becomes blocked.
He stated, “There are two types of stroke. There is a stroke resulting from a blood vessel rupturing called Hemorrhagic Stroke, and there is a stroke resulting from a blood vessel being blocked called Ischemic stroke. Now, 8 out of 10 people who have a stroke will have an ischaemic stroke, that is, blood clogging in the vessels.
“Ischaemic stroke is cholesterol deposition in the walls of the blood vessels, and this is a lifestyle problem. The cholesterol comes from oils and fats in your diet, so to the point that our diets these days have been increasingly westernised with high oil and fat content, the incidence of cholesterol deposition in the walls of the blood vessels is now increasing at alarming rates. People’s diets are now heavily laden with fats and oils. We eat a lot of fried foods.”
In related news, President John Dramani Mahama, at the launched cautioned Ghanaians against eating heavy meals late at night, using humour to encourage healthier lifestyles.
Speaking at the launch, President Mahama drew laughter from the audience, saying, “Stop eating banku at night”.
He further went on to advise Ghanaians that the ideal time for dinner should be taken earlier in the evening, saying, “If you are the kind of person who likes eating heavy foods, you are not physically active, you are sitting at one place, and yet when they give you your fufu or banku, you say it’s too small. You want a big bowl of fufu, and you want to eat it every day.
Sometimes you eat it at night before you go to sleep. Please, by 7 PM, eat your dinner and don’t eat again. If you are hungry, just pick a cup of tea or something. Don’t eat any heavy food. You come from work in the evening, your wife is tired, but you force her to come and get you banku at 10 PM, why?” he quizzed.
He further added, “Our fathers used to eat banku and co in the night, but they were physically active; they used to go to the farm, and they expended energy. Now we don’t do any physical activity. You wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, drive to work, sit behind the desk from 8 am to 5 pm, drive back home, and when you come home, you ask for your banku. What physical activity did you do to deserve banku?” he jokingly questioned.
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