The Nation Newspaper

Tag: healthy

  • Nutrition: Creating a healthy thriving food environment

    The “WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health”adopted in 2004 by the World Health Assembly (WHA) called on all – including governments, the private sector, and the civil society – to take action at global, regional, and local levels to support healthy diets and physical activity.

    Recently I was watching the rain fall in Lagos.  I had to leave the work I was doing and step out of my office to watch it.  No, I am not a lay-about.  In fact, itwas on a very busy day.  I don’t know if I was thinking as a scientist, a poet, or a prophet, but I was thinking that rain is such a source of blessing.

    For some, with flooded homes, lost property, or disruption of life, that tropical rain of West Africa may have seemed like a curse or may have actually served a curse. For those who can study the rain and think a bit, it can be viewed as a source of economic wealth, as good as crude oil or minerals, if not more valuable.  It is not everywhere in the world that plants grow prolifically without anybody’s permission.  In fact, West Africans, with their ample rain, sunlight, and fertile soil,  should be amongst the best fed people in the world, with an undeniable potential for massive employment and entrepreneurships in the food and agriculture industries. Fortunately, many Africans in the private sector now see themselves as part of nation building and are not waiting for only the governments to create food and agricultural projects.  A lot can be done by the private sector and by the numerous graduates of 126 Nigerian universities, for example.

    The World Health Organization Fact Sheet No 394 of September 2014 suggests some steps to create a healthy food environment and these include:

    o             increase incentives for producers and retailers to grow, use and sell fruits and vegetables;

    • reduce incentives for the food industry to use saturated fats and free sugars;
    • set and enforce targets to reformulate food products to cut the contents of salt, fats (i.e. saturated fats and trans fats) and free sugars;
    • implement the WHO recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children;
    • establish standards to promote healthy, safe and affordable food in public institutions;
    • encourage private companies to provide healthy food in their workplaces;
    • set incentives and rules so consumers have healthy, safe and affordable food choices;
    • encourage transnational, national and local food services and catering outlets to improve the nutritional quality of their food, create real choices, and review portion size and price;
    • Consider taxes and subsidies to encourage food manufacturers to produce healthier food and make healthy products available and affordable.

    Farming and agriculture can be fun and fulfilling full time or part time jobs, hobbies, careers, or simply humanitarian services.  The field is a platform for scientific and technological applications, innovation and creativity, able to serve the aspirations and drives of many youthsand the potentially rich.

    Sunlight, rain, soil, – all these resources that are undervalued or that have been neglected for too long can be great servants of blessing for those who think.

    Harvesting, diverting, and utilizing rain water; soil and agricultural resource management and development, exploitation of solar power, are areas where many graduates can turn their knowledge into profit and at the same time help to create a good, healthy, thriving, food environment in Africa.

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635.

  • Why people must take healthy food, by VC

    The food people eat will determine how healthy they are, a don has said. Prof Lawal Suleiman Bilbis of Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, was delivering the 16th Inaugural Lecture of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto (UDUS) with the theme: Antioxidants in the service of man.

    The event, held at the university auditorium, started with a procession of body of principal officers led by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Abdullahi Zuru.

    In his opening remark, the VC said inaugural lecture was an important occasion to celebrate the promotion and appointment of lecturers as professors. He said it was also a platform for lecturers to contribute to the nation’s development.

    Bilbis, a professor of Biochemistry and pioneer VC of the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, said the lecture detailed his activities in the last 13 years, he was appointed a professor and what he intended to do.

    He further defined antioxidants as compounds that inhibit or prevent oxidation process, which are essential ingredients for the delay of diabetes.

    Noting that food remained the source of antioxidants, the lecturer said he had carried out induced stroke in experimental animal model, which he reversed with the use of food supplementary.

    He said deficiency of antioxidants was responsible for a 2010 report, which estimated that about 285 million adults battled diabetes globally. He said Africa had the largest proportional increase. He added that diabetes prevalence in the world could reach 7.7 per cent, which could make adults susceptible to be dreaded disease. The solution, he said, remained the intake of healthy food that would increase production of antioxidants to prevent diseases.

    Zuru hailed the lecturer for the research, saying the lecture would help to increase awareness about healthy living. He, thereafter, presented a gift to Prof Bilbis for making the school proud.

    Guests at the event included Bursar, Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Rilwan Argungu, the school Director of Research, Prof Yakubu Aliyu, and immediate past VC of UDUS, Prof Riskuwa Arabu Shehu, among others.

  • ‘Early child birth ’ll ensure healthy baby’

    Mothers have been advised to give birth at an early age to ensure a healthy baby.

    A paediatrician at Motayo Specialist Hospital, Ikeja, a private health facility, Dr Chinenye Ananti, said women, who deliver at 35 years and above may be vulnerable to having babies with Down’s syndrome (DS).

    According to her, older women are at a higher risk of giving birth to DS babies than women below 35 years because age is a factor. “The chances are as high as one in 30 births for women at 35 and above and one in 350 births for women below 35,” she said.

    She continued: “Down’s syndrome is a genetic disorder that is associated with maternal age, which can be diagnosed at child birth. Early treatment may reduce other problems, which may occur as the child grows older.

    “In cases of DS there is an extra chromosome called trixono chromosome found at the 21st position of chromosomes found in the body and can be diagnosed prenatally or after birth.”

    According to her, there are 36 chromosomes found in the human body. “They are always found in pairs, but at the 21st position, three chromosomes are found called trioxo chromosome or trixon 21,” Dr Ananti said.

    Most babies born with DS, she said, usually have a hole in the heart, adding that this is one of the problems they have.

    “Majority of them also come down with congenital heart problems. They also have problem with their sight,” she said.

    Growth problems, she said, is also part of what they experience. “Their development process is slow unlike typical children. For instance, if a typical child starts walking at age one, it may take a child with Down syndrome two to three years to walk,” she said.

    The paediatrician said babies with the condition are faced with intellectual disability, saying it is difficult for them to reason very well.

    “Sometimes, they get excited unnecessarily. They also have leukaemia, delayed milestone and low intelligence quotient (IQ),” she said, adding that no DS male has ever been known to father a child, but their females counterparts give birth. “However, they do not usually have too many children because they have fertility problems,” she added.

    Ananti said the governments at all levels are already creating awareness about the condition’s existence.

    The future, she said, is bright for children with DS because there is a society in Nigeria for people ailed by the condition, adding that DS clients of various ages link with one another.

    The specialist said life expectancy for persons with the condition was short in the past, but recently they living up to 50 years.

    She said once a baby is born and diagnosed with DS, it should undergo some tests, adding that the problem should be corrected to avoid recurrence.

    “Many problems will come up as the child grows older. So, they can be managed while he or she is still very little,” Ananti said.

    She urged parents to manage the disorder by following the instructions of healthcare providers. “It is a medical condition that is diagnosed at child birth. It is not a child killer disease, but it can lead to death if not well managed,” Ananti said.

  • Pregnancy: How to get a healthy mother and child

    The outcome of a planned and desirable pregnancy is a healthy mother and baby.

    Nevertheless, most of the necessary steps to be taken that will ultimately lead to a happy outcome rest squarely with the pregnant woman or woman desiring to be pregnant, her husband and healthcare professionals.

    Steps to take should include:

    • Eat balanced diet

    • Avoid exposure to infections and treat or control all forms of infections (common cold, herpes, chest infections, stomach, food, urine, vagina, HIV infections. See our previous articles on this).

    c) Avoid exposure to excessive radiations. Radiation may kill or deform the baby.

    d) Have adequate and appropriate vitamins and minerals (folic acid, vitamins and iron if not enough is taken in the diet).

    e) Avoid exposure to illegal drugs such as cannabis, alcohol, chemicals and non-prescribed medications. They may damage the cells and your baby.

    Time is everything. While individual situations differ, the ideal age bracket, for the woman, to have children is between 20-35 years. While, pregnancy is possible at the extremes and beyond the quoted age bracket, there are higher risks in having babies, with such pregnancies at extreme age brackets.

    Example: Chances of Down’s syndrome is much higher at age of 40 than at 30 years.

    B. Have all forms of infections and illnesses, detected and treated or be put under proper medical control. HIV, High blood pressure, diabetic mellitus, and thyroid problems must be treated and or controlled. Otherwise, they may cause you and the baby serious problems.

    C. The woman will need to get vaccinated against some infections (for example, tetanus depending on the country where you live) if you have not done so in pre-pregnancy (rubella, chicken-pox, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C). Preferably, all vaccinations should be done before pregnancy.

    D. During pregnancy, be vigilant to your baby movements from 16 weeks onwards. Note any reduction in or excessive movements of the baby. It may be a sign of distress.

    Report to your carer or doctor immediately: if there is any reduction in foetal movement or if there are excessive movements.

    Also, are you feeling unwell? Report it now to your nurses/midwife or doctor no matter how mundane the illness may be.

    The birth

    We must remember that the process of birth is the most dangerous journey anyone coming through the birth canal can ever undertake. Apart from the pain of labour, that the woman experiences, the baby is hugely at risk too. The risks include physical injuries from pressure of labour through the narrow birth (vagina) canal. Others are chemical injuries to the brain from inadequate supply of oxygen to the brain, possible blockage of wind pipe from aspirations of the birth materials. Bleeding from possible injuries sustained by the baby during birth may lead to brain and organ impairment. Excessive bleeding during birth, by the mother may affect the baby too as it may starve the baby of needed oxygen and food. Brain damage may therefore result from inadequate oxygen. All these may either cut short the life of the baby and the mother or reduce either person’s life span.

    All these require planning and vigilance by both the doctors and the care receiver — you!

    For example, if oxygen had been inadequately supplied to the baby before or during birth or shortly after birth, there may be brain damage and this may lead to seizures later in life which in turn reduces the quality of life of the person. Seizure may also lead to early death, thus defeating the lofty objective of healthy living ideals. If the baby has been exposed to dangerous substances (cocaine, cannabis, alcohol) while in the womb, and before birth, this may determine the quality of life that the baby may lead later on in life.

    The child may not grow properly, brain may be damaged and his personality may suffer.

    The life span may also be reduced as a result of poor delivery even if delivered by surgical intervention.

    The main things that parents can do are:

    • Ensure preventive measure is in place even before pregnancy occurs

    • Get screened for any preventable illness (infections such as HIV, for example) before pregnancy:

    Any defects that may affect you or the baby.

    • Get screened for genetic diseases (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell) before pregnancy. This will help the individual to determine if passing such diseases to others is worthwhile.

    • Be alert to risks or dangers that may harm the baby during pregnancy such as maternal falls and physical trauma.

    • Be alert to dangers of radiation, chemotherapy, strong magnetic fields, illegal substances, cigarette/nicotine, alcohol and so forth.

    • Be alert to deficiencies of vitamins and minerals.

    •Be alert to dangers at birth time (during labour). The professionals will be very vigilant on this however.

    As a parent, be even more vigilant too. Professionals are humans. Error does occur.

  • Want to stay healthy? Take micronutrients

    Want to stay healthy? Take micronutrients

    A natural medicine practitioner has recommended micronutrients for the maintenance of good health.

    According to the Chief Consultant Biorepair International Centre for Holistic Therapy, Dr Chigoziri Moses, micronutrients are nutrients for humans required in small quantities through out life.

    Micronutrients, he said, are present in fruits and vegetables that most people often overlook.

    He suggested kale, watercress and green lettuce. Others are cabbage, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic, mushrooms, pomegranates, berries (all types) and seeds (flax, sesame and sunflower), as super foods for building strong immunity.

    People, he said, can have great health through what they consume, adding: “The powerful compounds found in nuts and seeds, berries, and pomegranates are powerful and protective.

    “When these food are combined with green vegetables, such as cocked mushrooms and onions in their diet, it boost their immunity, it stimulates the self-healing and self-protective properties already built into the human genome,” he said.

    Taking rich micronutrients regularly, he said, can help save lives, adding: “Many health problems have been prevented because people take the right food, which has vitamins and minerals.”

    He said these nutrients have antioxidants, which usually help to super-charge the immune system for a vibrant health.

    Moses said taking micronutrients is vital, stressing that it is ‘a new door to great health’.

    The best way to boost one’s immunity, the natural health expert said, is by consuming micronutrients from raw fruits and vegetables.

    “The evidence is overwhelming as you can supercharge your immune system to protect your body against disease. People can get protected from the common cold to cancer. Nutritional science has made extraordinary strides and discoveries in recent years and when this new research is applied, it enables us to take control of our health as never before. What we eat has everything to do with our health, and, unfortunately, too many of us are living with a severely depleted immune function,” he said.

    He continued: “Our dietary choices are making us sicker; shortening our lives and cost us a lot of money in doctor visits, hospital stays and more prescription of drugs as well as surgeries. I do not believe more medical care is the answer. Rather, the solution is to change the way we eat.”

    He berated poor diet, which many people consume today, adding: “The standard diets most people eat these days are nutrient deficient.”

    Moses said the erroneously promoted and accepted curative modalities around the world are symptom-focused, and not holistically-focused to address the cause of a disease or disorder.

    “Also, there is dietary misguidance compounded by the misleading information on consumer products and services sold in the market. These are not helping matters,” he added.

    Most people, he said, are consuming too much of highly processed foods, especially those laced with sweeteners, animal fats and proteins.

    “At the same time, they are not eating enough fruits, beans, seeds, and vegetables, which make them lacking in the most important immune-building compounds. By changing their diets and combing food that contain powerful immune-strengthening capabilities, they will be able to prevent most common modern diseases,” Moses said.

    He said those who support their immune system with the needed micronutrients from raw fruits and vegetables put disease at bay.

    “People are not properly educated on the right ways to eat for optimum health. Your foods are your best medicines made by the life’s creator. Nothing made by man can ever be better, no matter what it may be,” he said.

    Moses said people are dying because they have unrelentingly engaged in environmental dietary abuse; skin care abuse, and social lifestyle and ethical abuses.

  • NGO seeks healthy living, good governance

    NGO seeks healthy living, good governance

    A non-governmental organisation, Human Concern Foundation International (HCFI) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to run a service-oriented administration.

    The group made the call in Lagos last Saturday when it held a street walk tagged: “Walk for Life, Peace and Good Governance,” in conjunction with the Centre for Global Peace Initiative (CGPI) and Globacom Communications.

    The walk, which covered about 10 kilometres, took off from Jibowu, Yaba on Lagos Mainland, through Maryland and back to Jibowu.

    HCFI Executive Director, Dr Ibrahim Oreagba said researches had shown that when you walk on a regular basis, it reduces the incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and hypertension.

    “Walking should be on a daily basis; sometimes you can walk from a particular point to the other rather than taking public transport or taking our vehicles. We should be familiar with it on a daily basis. We are also doing this to encourage the present government to practise good governance,” Oreagba of the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said.

    According to him, the walk is one of the annual programmes of the foundation meant to ensure that Nigerians are fit – physically, mentally and emotionally.

    Oreagba, also a Senior Research Fellow/Consultant and Coordinator, Pharmaco-vigilance in South West, said his group had been providing limited services in the area of health enlightenment campaign and medical counselling at the grassroots where medical facilities are grossly absent or inadequate.

    He said: “Our main objectives of HCFI are to improve the health status of Nigerians and equally to positively change the attitudes and practices of community residents with respect to sound health and hygiene.

    “HCFI has, through the support of Nigerian pharmaceutical companies and corporate organisations, organised health programmes in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Edo, Niger and Kwara states. We have also been to Abuja and the Republic of Benin.”

    He added that if people could be doing that on their own twice or thrice a week, they would be fit physically and emotionally and guard against heart-related diseases.

    He said: “If you look at the world today, many people are suffering from heart-related diseases, and obesity among others, which are actually avoidable. One of the ways we can avoid heart-related diseases is to cultivate the culture of walking; not really jogging at this stage of our life. When we must walk, we will sweat and burn energies that are not useful, by so doing we will be physically and mentally fit.”

    A senior lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr Luqman AbdurRaheem, enjoined President Buhari to learn from the past mistakes and appoint like-minded Nigerians who are ready to work for development of the country. He hailed HCFI for trying to keep Nigerians fit.

    The Executive Director, Zakat and Sadakat Foundation, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, urged Nigerians to be patient and support the present administration for good governance.

    Imam Abdullahi said Nigerians look forward to enjoying good dividends of democracy.

    “There are a lot of leakages in Nigeria’s democratic experience in the last sixteen years and we are hoping that with this new dawn that we have witnessed last Friday, a new chapter would be opened in the Nigerian democratic experience for us as Nigerians to benefit from them,” he said.

  • Healthy teeth in healthy body

    Healthy teeth in healthy body

    Head of Department of Restorative Dentistry at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Adeyemi Olusile, tackles the question below:

    I am a researcher on lifestye. I am researching into dental ailments in Nigeria and their causes. Can you help out?

    -Inaolaji Ikupayida, 28 years old, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

    Dental ailments globally have remained the same throughout history. Besides, oral health problems require rudimentary treatments, which have been identified and described for thousands of years. And recently it has dawn on us that oral health is not just about the mouth but also the body. Oral health is a component of overall health, and as should not be taken in isolation from the rest of the body. Systematically, a person is not well if he has an oral problem. Let us look at nutrition as a relationship between oral hygiene and systemic health. Unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking and poor diet will lead to dental diseases, and consequently pain.

    When you are in pain, you cannot eat and this will affect your nutrition. That is why the mouth is a mediator between the general health and systemic health. In the last decade or so, there has been an increase in the awareness of oral health; more teeth are preserved in the mouth.

    To eradicate oral problems, education is important to preventing dental problems. Be educated on the health of your mouth, the health of your teeth and even before your kids teeth come out. You should see your dentist once in six month. You do not wait until you have a problem with your teeth and be sure that everything is fine. Like a relation of mine rightly said, our mouth is the gateway to the body. Poor oral health can lead to anaemia and other systemic diseases. We can diagnose them and nip them in the bud before they get out of hand.To further address the pressing oral health issues Pepsodent Triple Protection Toothpaste, a unique formulation that helps protect against cavities/tooth decay, stains and bad breath is recommended.

    I will now identify the basic dental health problems in Nigeria, and their causes:

    Periodontal diseases and tooth decay are said to be the most common diseases in the world, yet they are quite preventable because they are bacterial in origin; eliminate the bacteria and eliminate the diseases.  Co-habiting with the teeth and the gums in every mouth are bacterial that easily exceed the number of people who live on earth – six billion. These bacteria are the culprit in tooth decay, periodontal diseases and dirty mouth or foul breath.

    Periodontal disease or gum problems are wide spread and are the leading cause of tooth loss. In Nigeria, almost every teenager above 16 years has one form of periodontitis or the other. The disease include a wide range of inflammatory diseases of the tooth supporting tissues known as the periodontum. When it is limited to the gums, it is called gingivitis but when the deeper connective tissues and bones are also involved it becomes periodontitis.

    Gingivitis is usually seen as swollen red and bleeding gums around the teeth, it heals with removal of the irritating dental plaque and good oral hygiene. Periodontitis when there is pocket formation can be arrested but often the lost tissues are difficult to restore. Left untreated, the disease lead to increase tooth movement, abscess or  even tooth loss.

     

     Aetiology

    Direct causes: These include poor oral hygiene leading to accumulation of dental plaque and calculus, and traumatic occlusion.

    Indirect factor: Malnutrition (deficiency of vitamins A and C, niacin and protein) is associated with a higher prevalence of periodontal diseases.

    • Endocrine disturbances including physiological causes such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and pathological causes such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism and diabetes may aggravate existing periodontal disease.

    • Decreased immunity as in persons with HIV and those on immunosuppressive drugs.

    • Blood disorders such as acute monocytic leukaemia and pernicious anaemia can lead to periodontal diseases.

    • Malalignment of the teeth interferes with proper plaque control.

    Tobacco smoking and chewing reduce tissue resistance and increase the susceptibility to periodontal diseases.

    • An improper brushing technique, besides resulting in inadequate plaque removal, can also cause gingival recession.

    • Drugs—certain drugs such as phenytoin sodium and nifedipine can cause gingival hyperplasia.

    Distant causes. These include low socioeconomic and literacy level, difficult access to an oral health care facility, poor oral health awareness, and lack of oral health insurance. Stress is known to predispose to acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.

    Dental caries is the most common chronic disease on the planet. It is an infectious microbiological disease of the teeth that results in localized dissolution and destruction of the calcified tissues. It is the second most common cause of tooth loss and is found universally, irrespective of age, sex, caste, creed or geographic location. It is considered to be a disease of civilized society, related to lifestyle factors, but heredity also plays a role. In the late stages, it causes severe pain, is expensive to treat and leads to loss of precious man-hours. However, it is preventable to a certain extent.

    Bad breath is often caused by a build up of bacteria in the mouth that causes inflammation and gives off noxious odours or gases that smell like sulphur- or worse.

    Everybody has nasty breath at some point, like when you get out of bed in the morning.

    There are no statistics on what percentage of the population has bad breath. That’s because studies usually rely on someone reporting whether or not they think they have bad breath and may not be accurate.

    Several internal medical conditions also can cause your breath to go downhill fast. They include diabetes, liver disease, respiratory tract infections, and chronic bronchitis. But studies show that about 80 percent of bad breath comes from an oral source. For instance, cavities or gum disease can lead to bad breath, as can tonsils that have trapped food particles; cracked fillings, and less-than-clean dentures. One of the chief causes of bad breath, is untreated tooth decay. Even a small amount of dental decay can produce a foul odour.

    Orofacial cancers are the sixth most common worldwide and they originate from the oral cavity and adjacent structures. In Nigeria, the prevalence may not be significantly more than in other parts of the world, being about 20 to 25 in 100,000. More worrisome is that orofacial cancers are not being presented until they become so massive that sugary become very difficult if not impossible. The consequent morbidity is high.

    Direct causes: Tobacco, alcohol, bacterial infections such as syphilis and fungal plus viral infections; chronic irritation due to sharp teeth and faulty pros-thesis and exposure to radiation.

    Indirect causes: Industrial pollution due to asbestos, lead; nutritional deficiencies such as those due to vitamins A, B complex, and iron deficiency

    Distant causes: Low socioeconomic and literacy level; poor oral health awareness and poor access to oral health care facilities for prevention and early detection.

    Dentofacial anomalies include hereditary, developmental and acquired malocclusion or malalignment of the teeth. Worldwide, the average prevalence of malocclusion in the 10 to 12 years’ age group is reported to be 30 percent to 35 per cent. Personally, I think this is as a result of evolutionary trend. The jaws are getting smaller and these small jaws cannot accommodate 32 teeth. The rest are semantics.

    Direct causes:

    •Heredity: Hereditary factors play an important role in conditions such as cleft lip and palate, facial asymmetries variations in tooth shape and size, deep bites, discre- pancies in jaw size.

    • Congenital: These include cleft lip and palate, and syndromes associated with anomalies of craniofacial structures, cerebral palsy, torticollis, cleidocranial dysostosis, congenital syphilis, etc.

    • Abnormal pressure habits and functional aberrations: These include abnormal suckling, thumb and finger sucking, tongue thrusting and sucking, lip and nail biting, mouth breathing, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, trauma and accidents.

    • Local factors: These include abnormalities of number such as supernumerary and missing teeth, abnormalities of tooth size and shape, abnormal labial frenum causing spacing between the upper anterior teeth, premature tooth loss with drifting of the adjoining and opposite teeth, prolonged retention of the milk teeth, delayed eruption of the permanent teeth, abnormal eruptive path, dental caries, and improper dental restorations.

  • Healthy teeth in healthy body

    Healthy teeth in healthy body

    Head of Department of Restorative Dentistry at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Adeyemi Olusile tackles the question below:

    I am a researcher on lifestye. I am researching into dental ailments in Nigeria and their causes. Can you help out?

    -Inaolaji Ikupayida, 28 years old, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

    Dental ailments globally have remained the same throughout history. Besides, oral health problems require rudimentary treatments, which have been identified and described for thousands of years. And recently it has dawn on us that oral health is not just about the mouth but also the body. Oral health is a component of overall health, and as should not be taken in isolation from the rest of the body. Systematically, a person is not well if he has an oral problem. Let us look at nutrition as a relationship between oral hygiene and systemic health. Unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking and poor diet will lead to dental diseases, and consequently pain.

    When you are in pain, you cannot eat and this will affect your nutrition. That is why the mouth is a mediator between the general health and systemic health. In the last decade or so, there has been an increase in the awareness of oral health; more teeth are preserved in the mouth.

    To eradicate oral problems, education is important to preventing dental problems. Be educated on the health of your mouth, the health of your teeth and even before your kids teeth come out. You should see your dentist once in six month. You do not wait until you have a problem with your teeth and be sure that everything is fine. Like a relation of mine rightly said, our mouth is the gateway to the body. Poor oral health can lead to anaemia and other systemic diseases. We can diagnose them and nip them in the bud before they get out of hand.To further address the pressing oral health issues Pepsodent Triple Protection Toothpaste, a unique formulation that helps protect against cavities/tooth decay, stains and bad breath is recommended.

    I will now identify the basic dental health problems in Nigeria, and their causes:

    Periodontal diseases and tooth decay are said to be the most common diseases in the world, yet they are quite preventable because they are bacterial in origin; eliminate the bacteria and eliminate the diseases.  Co-habiting with the teeth and the gums in every mouth are bacterial that easily exceed the number of people who live on earth – six billion. These bacteria are the culprit in tooth decay, periodontal diseases and dirty mouth or foul breath.

    Periodontal disease or gum problems are wide spread and are the leading cause of tooth loss. In Nigeria, almost every teenager above 16 years has one form of periodontitis or the other. The disease include a wide range of inflammatory diseases of the tooth supporting tissues known as the periodontum. When it is limited to the gums, it is called gingivitis but when the deeper connective tissues and bones are also involved it becomes periodontitis.

    Gingivitis is usually seen as swollen red and bleeding gums around the teeth, it heals with removal of the irritating dental plaque and good oral hygiene. Periodontitis when there is pocket formation can be arrested but often the lost tissues are difficult to restore. Left untreated, the disease lead to increase tooth movement, abscess or  even tooth loss.

     

     Aetiology

    Direct causes: These include poor oral hygiene leading to accumulation of dental plaque and calculus, and traumatic occlusion.

    Indirect factor: Malnutrition (deficiency of vitamins A and C, niacin and protein) is associated with a higher prevalence of periodontal diseases.

    • Endocrine disturbances including physiological causes such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and pathological causes such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism and diabetes may aggravate existing periodontal disease.

    • Decreased immunity as in persons with HIV and those on immunosuppressive drugs.

    • Blood disorders such as acute monocytic leukaemia and pernicious anaemia can lead to periodontal diseases.

    • Malalignment of the teeth interferes with proper plaque control.

    Tobacco smoking and chewing reduce tissue resistance and increase the susceptibility to periodontal diseases.

    • An improper brushing technique, besides resulting in inadequate plaque removal, can also cause gingival recession.

    • Drugs—certain drugs such as phenytoin sodium and nifedipine can cause gingival hyperplasia.

    Distant causes. These include low socioeconomic and literacy level, difficult access to an oral health care facility, poor oral health awareness, and lack of oral health insurance. Stress is known to predispose to acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.

    Dental caries is the most common chronic disease on the planet. It is an infectious microbiological disease of the teeth that results in localized dissolution and destruction of the calcified tissues. It is the second most common cause of tooth loss and is found universally, irrespective of age, sex, caste, creed or geographic location. It is considered to be a disease of civilized society, related to lifestyle factors, but heredity also plays a role. In the late stages, it causes severe pain, is expensive to treat and leads to loss of precious man-hours. However, it is preventable to a certain extent.

    Bad breath is often caused by a build up of bacteria in the mouth that causes inflammation and gives off noxious odours or gases that smell like sulphur- or worse.

    Everybody has nasty breath at some point, like when you get out of bed in the morning.

    There are no statistics on what percentage of the population has bad breath. That’s because studies usually rely on someone reporting whether or not they think they have bad breath and may not be accurate.

    Several internal medical conditions also can cause your breath to go downhill fast. They include diabetes, liver disease, respiratory tract infections, and chronic bronchitis. But studies show that about 80 percent of bad breath comes from an oral source. For instance, cavities or gum disease can lead to bad breath, as can tonsils that have trapped food particles; cracked fillings, and less-than-clean dentures. One of the chief causes of bad breath, is untreated tooth decay. Even a small amount of dental decay can produce a foul odour.

    Orofacial cancers are the sixth most common worldwide and they originate from the oral cavity and adjacent structures. In Nigeria, the prevalence may not be significantly more than in other parts of the world, being about 20 to 25 in 100,000. More worrisome is that orofacial cancers are not being presented until they become so massive that sugary become very difficult if not impossible. The consequent morbidity is high.

    Direct causes: Tobacco, alcohol, bacterial infections such as syphilis and fungal plus viral infections; chronic irritation due to sharp teeth and faulty pros-thesis and exposure to radiation.

    Indirect causes: Industrial pollution due to asbestos, lead; nutritional deficiencies such as those due to vitamins A, B complex, and iron deficiency

    Distant causes: Low socioeconomic and literacy level; poor oral health awareness and poor access to oral health care facilities for prevention and early detection.

    Dentofacial anomalies include hereditary, developmental and acquired malocclusion or malalignment of the teeth. Worldwide, the average prevalence of malocclusion in the 10 to 12 years’ age group is reported to be 30 percent to 35 per cent. Personally, I think this is as a result of evolutionary trend. The jaws are getting smaller and these small jaws cannot accommodate 32 teeth. The rest are semantics.

    Direct causes:

    •Heredity: Hereditary factors play an important role in conditions such as cleft lip and palate, facial asymmetries variations in tooth shape and size, deep bites, discre- pancies in jaw size.

    • Congenital: These include cleft lip and palate, and syndromes associated with anomalies of craniofacial structures, cerebral palsy, torticollis, cleidocranial dysostosis, congenital syphilis, etc.

    • Abnormal pressure habits and functional aberrations: These include abnormal suckling, thumb and finger sucking, tongue thrusting and sucking, lip and nail biting, mouth breathing, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, trauma and accidents.

    • Local factors: These include abnormalities of number such as supernumerary and missing teeth, abnormalities of tooth size and shape, abnormal labial frenum causing spacing between the upper anterior teeth, premature tooth loss with drifting of the adjoining and opposite teeth, prolonged retention of the milk teeth, delayed eruption of the permanent teeth, abnormal eruptive path, dental caries, and improper dental restorations.

  • Balanced diet, healthy life

    Balanced diet, healthy life

    The University of Ibadan (UI) chapter of the Association of Nutrition Science organised, last week, a symposium to examine factors militating against the intake of balanced diet. Lectures were suspended at the Department of Nutrition Science for the event, report WALE AJETUNMOBI.

    Malnutrition affects more than two billion persons across the world, with 26 per cent of the sufferers living in Africa. Hunger and nutrient-deficiency diets or food with high nutrient content have been identified as causes of malnutrition. This condition, experts say, can lead to improper functioning of the brain, which, in turn, makes the body vulnerable to chronic diseases.

    The alarming rate of malnutrition across the world gave rise to a global  debate on how to improve the intake of balanced diet.

    To this end, the United Nations set up a food and nutrition policy harmonisation forum known as United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), with the mandate to promote co-operation among partner organisations in support of international efforts to end malnutrition.

    What are the impediments to the efforts to rid Nigeria of malnutrition? What are the roles the government and individuals need to play to make nutritious diets available to all? These questions were the crux of the discourse at a symposium organised by the University of Ibadan (UI) chapter of the Association of Nutrition Science Students (ANSS) in collaboration with Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited (CCNL), last Wednesday.

    The event with the theme: Prioritising nutrition in the post-2015 framework: Roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in Nigeria, was held in the First Bank Hall on the campus.

    For more than six hours, stakeholders, including nutritionists, industry experts, lecturers and students, engaged in brainstorming session, discussing how to take balanced diet education to the poor.

    According to Dr Bartholomew Brai, a Nutritional Biochemist at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), lack of nutrition education and dearth of concise policies on quality of food led to rise in cases of malnutrition.

    He said the nation was yet to deal with the challenge of malnutrition with the urgency it deserved, noting that nutrition enforcement team should be made a separate department under the Ministry of Health for the balanced diet campaign to be meaningful.

    He said: “Many people confuse the activities of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) to include checking the quality of food in terms of balance diet. The agency can only check if the food is fit for consumption. This is why there is need for separate department for nutrition matter to organise awareness on balanced diet.”

    Brai suggested that there should be nutritionist attached to each community for there to be adequate sensitisation at the grassroots.

    Sola Ogundipe, the head of Health Desk at the Vanguard, who moderated the session, said nutrition education had been relegated to the background, which is why people die of preventable diseases. He told the participants to form a volunteer group that would spread the diet education among the vulnerable in the rural communities.

    A diet is not balanced if it does not contain right combination of food, Mr Fred Chiazor, Coca-Cola’s Science and Regulatory Affairs Director, said. He said the essence of good nutrition was to maintain energy balance in the body, adding that the shifting from natural food to processed food led to the rise in cases of obesity.

    “To prevent obesity, we must maintain energy balance. The best way to do this, is to engage in physical exercise, because it will help mental health and psychological wellbeing,” he said.

    Chiazor advised the students to make vegetable make-up substantial part of their food, adding that the co-operation among government, industry and the society was the best approach to tackle malnutrition.

    For Anuoluwapo Ogundero, a graduating First Class student of the Department of Nursing Science, lack of balanced diet causes low academic performance, which may result in cases of drop-outs. She urged her colleagues to show good example in the consumption of nourished food.

    Another First Class student, Promise Ugochukwu, said there was need for improved partnership between stakeholders and students’ organisations to entrench nutrition education on campus.

    The event featured a debate on nutrition and an interactive session, where students spoke their mind on their views on how to achieve the symposium’s objectives.

    Mr Emeka Mba, Community Affairs Manager of Cola-Cola Nigeria Limited, said: “For us in Coca-Cola Nigeria, we believe in effective power of partnerships for sustainable development through the concept of Golden Triangle, which means interaction between government, business and civil society towards addressing a myriad of socio-economic issues in Society.

    This conviction is at the heart of what drives our sustainability programmes. Our company’s active participation in health programmes is an integral component of our resolve to make difference. Our activities promote long term health and wellness of the community through nutrition education and physical exercises. We realise that our business can only be prosperous and vibrant if people in the communities in which we operate live healthy. It takes a healthy community, market and population for businesses to thrive.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • 10 Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping

    Good nutrition starts with smart choices in the grocery store. Cooking up healthy meals is a challenge if you don’t have the right ingredients in your kitchen.

    But who has time to read all the food labels and figure out which items are the most nutritious and the best buys? Grocery shopping can be a daunting task, simply because there are so many choices.

    “Markets perform a great public service, but keep in mind they are designed to get you to buy (and, therefore, eat) more food, not less,” says Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, professor of nutrition at New York University. But with a little guidance, healthy choices are a cinch to find in any supermarket.

    Plan Ahead for Success

    The process starts even before you head to the grocery store, experts say. Before you set out for the market, plan your meals for the week, and create a list to shop from. It takes a few minutes, but saves time in running back to the store for missing ingredients.

    To save money, use discounts, check the weekly grocery ads, and incorporate sale foods into your meal planning. And don’t shop hungry: An empty belly often results in impulse purchases that may not be the healthiest.

    To help meet the pyramid guidelines, you should be filling your cart with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean meat, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts, she says.

    Most of us tend to eat the same foods over and over again. But variety really is the spice of life, says Ward.

    One of the tenets of the pyramid is variety, so instead of white potatoes, choose sweet potatoes, which are much richer in beta-carotene, or baby spinach instead of iceberg lettuce. Be adventurous; aim to try a new fruit or vegetable each week, she advises.

    Both Ward and Nestle say organic foods are a great option, but note that they may not be the most economical choice.