Justina Asishana – Minna
Executive Director of the Niger state Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NSPHCDA), Dr Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana and the Niger State Nutrition Officer, Hajiya Asmau Mohammed have warned against the increasing use of supplements by individuals.
According to the medical experts, supplements currently flooding the market do not contain most of the ingredients they claim to contain.
The duo stated this while fielding questions from participants regarding the impact of supplement drugs in the body at a review meeting on allocation, releases and utilization of nutrition budget with key stakeholders from the Legislature and nutrition line ministries in Niger state.
According to the Executive Director of the Niger state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, the majority of the supplements being marketed are nutrients that are found in the food we eat.
“It is alarming that we see all sort of supplement in the market but with the availability of food, we do not need those supplements. Whatever is being marketed are things that naturally occur in our food.
“And some supplements are so expensive that you wonder what really is special about them. I agree that there are some ingredients that they source it from very difficult sources like oysters which is deep in the sea, they bring in what seems like very rare goods and make people think that because they are rare, they must be special or they give the body a special kind of energy or powers but they do not.”
“That is NDA always put a caveat on the supplements that these products are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. That is the truth.
“The truth is that once we eat our balanced diet, we do not need that kind of supplements, only when someone is malnourished, the person may want to supplement because people are taking it carelessly. There are others that are important like zinc that boosts our immunity but for the rest, the markets are just out to make money. ”
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In her remarks, the Niger state Nutrition Officer, Hajiya Asmau Mohammed explained that supplements should not be made the first line of choice especially with the abundance of food available in the country.
“It is sad to see so many nutritional supplements circulating around from different brand or company name.
“From the name supplement, we are not saying they do not have a role to play but they should not be made the first line of choice especially with the abundance of food we have and looking at the fact that the world is turning to organic foods.”
She cautioned that there is no need for anyone to go into supplement except when the need arises adding that majority of those who consume the supplements have no knowledge of what these supplements really do in the body.
“Those of us who consume the supplements might not have the knowledge of how to manage supplements in the sense that the marketers may want to sell, however, we have what we call blood toxicity because every supplement has a recommended intake, what your body needs to be taken.
“Before going into supplements, it is necessary to ask these questions which include does it meet up with the recommended intake? Is it going above their recommended intake? These are issues that have to do with supplements and you will never get the right answers from the marketers who the only emphasis on what you will only get instead of telling you the nitty-gritty of that.”
Mohammed then advised people to get their choice of nutrient from their natural food stating that when it becomes clear that they have to take these supplements, they need to seek the advice of professionals to know when to stop.
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