2 m people die of excess sugar consumption yearly, says Soludo's wife

By Madu Obi

THE wife of the governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Nonye Soludo has warned against excess intake of sugar, noting that over two million people die every year from ailments associated with sugar consumption.

Speaking at the flag off of 'Walk For Life' programme organized by the Ultimate Business Women and Farmers Association of Nigeria, UBWFAN, in Awka, Mrs Soludo said people of all ages should try as much as possible to reduce the rate of sugar consumption in the interest of their health.

According to her, the figure was the result of a research carried out by the World Health Organization, WHO, adding that Nigerians should try as much as possible to adhere to any advice aimed at reducing the level of mortality in the country.

"Salt is an important ingredient for food, but consuming it more than the recommended unit leads to serious health problems", the governor's wife said.

Speaking on the essence of regular exercise, the guest speaker and the state Commissioner fir Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor observed that three to ten minutes of exercise everyday could help to prolong life and eradicate diseases that normally occur when one does not exercise regularly.

He said that since there is life in the blood, there is need to clean the bloodstream through regular exercises and healthy dieting.

In her speech, the national president of the association, Mrs. Nkiru Nwagbo applauded the governor’s wife for leading a campaign to make healthy living a household norm in the state.

She explained that the Walk for Life project is one of the many programmes of UBWFAN aimed at lending support to the women in business and farming.

She said: "We are concerned not only about their physical well -being, but their mental strength. We believe that a healthy body transmits stability to the mind and the result is predictably, success in every aspect of life.

"This explains why we consider physical exercise a critical step towards the empowerment of women, including the vulnerable ones among us .

"It is our hope that our members will not only be physically ready to cope with the challenges of life, but psychologically and mentally equipped to run the race of life with renewed energy and vigour."