Public health crisis: The deadly toll of reckless eating habits in Nigeria

In Nigeria's markets, consumers make swift purchasing decisions, often prioritizing affordability and familiarity over nutritional value, as a mother quickly grabs noodles, cooking oil, and bread without checking their sodium, trans fat, or sugar content.

However, health experts caution that these routine choices, repeated millions of times, are cumulatively contributing to a national health crisis, with Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases increasingly affecting younger populations.

Today, NCDs are rising rapidly in Nigeria, straining both household incomes and national productivity, with experts attributing this trend to diet and lifestyle changes driven by urbanization and processed foods.

Globally, NCDs have become the dominant health challenge, accounting for about 41 million deaths annually, which is roughly 71 percent of all global deaths, with approximately 15 million of these deaths occurring prematurely between ages 30 and 69.

The burden of NCDs does not affect all regions equally, with about 77 percent of NCD deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where health systems are often ill-equipped to manage long-term illnesses.

In these settings, people are more likely to receive late diagnoses and have limited access to continuous care, exacerbating the challenges posed by NCDs.

Nigeria is experiencing a rapid shift in disease patterns, with NCDs rising steadily alongside the ongoing battle against infectious diseases, creating a double burden of disease in the country.

Recent estimates suggest an NCD prevalence of about 16.8 percent in Nigeria, with increasing cases of hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory conditions, unlike the gradual transition seen in high-income countries.

The impact of NCDs in Nigeria is not only medical but also deeply economic, with households often bearing the cost of long-term care out-of-pocket, averaging around ?122,000 annually, which is unsustainable for many families.

About 30 percent of households experience catastrophic health expenditure, while roughly 20 percent are pushed into poverty due to the cost of managing chronic illnesses, highlighting the need for urgent action.

Many NCDs are linked to modifiable risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful alcohol consumption, which experts say can be addressed through prevention, early detection, and stronger health systems.

During the first Nigeria Heart Foundation (NHF) Mark logo month in Lagos, health professionals emphasized that Nigeria's food environment has become a major driver of disease, requiring urgent intervention at the point of consumption.

Former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun, noted that the trend is already reshaping national development, with hypertension affecting about 40 percent of the population, or one out of every three adults.

Osibogun warned that the implications of NCDs go beyond health statistics, as premature deaths result in lost productivity, and those living with these conditions also experience reduced productive capacity.

Osibogun stated that Nigeria has reached a turning point where NCDs and injuries have overtaken infectious diseases as leading causes of death, with the cost of treating hypertension alone ranging from N40,000 to N50,000 monthly.

Many patients skip drugs or reduce doses, leading to stroke and heart failure, while others hide their conditions due to discrimination, which worsens outcomes, according to Osibogun.

He highlighted hidden costs such as transport to hospitals, loss of income, and stigma associated with chronic illness, warning that the cost of inaction is already visible and will have severe economic and social consequences if not addressed.

Against this backdrop, experts emphasize that prevention must now take center stage, with food being the most powerful entry point, as the Nigerian Heart Foundation's Dr. Kingsley Akinroye explained that the organisation's Heart Mark logo simplifies nutrition decisions in a complex food market.

The Heart Mark logo indicates that a product is low in salt, sugar, trans fat, and cholesterol, and high in fiber, allowing consumers to make quick, informed decisions without reading complex labels, according to Akinroye.

The certification system is backed by strict testing and annual re-evaluation conducted in collaboration with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), serving as a watchdog to ensure healthier products reach the market.

Nutrition experts at the summit said Nigeria is undergoing a dangerous dietary shift, with processed foods increasingly replacing traditional diets, as Prof. Salisu Abubakar of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria noted that poor diet remains one of the strongest drivers of chronic disease.

Prof. Wasiu Afolabi, former President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, linked the rise in cardiovascular diseases to urbanization and increased consumption of foods high in salt, saturated fats, and trans fats, emphasizing the need for urgent consumer education and food reformulation.

From the public health system, Dr. Alayo Sopekan of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare described NCDs as "silent killers" that often go unnoticed until complications develop, highlighting the need for early identification and action on modifiable factors.

She said Nigeria now has a national policy on NCD prevention and control, but stressed that implementation requires stronger collaboration across government, industry, and civil society.

Experts repeatedly emphasized that Nigeria cannot hospitalize its way out of the NCD crisis, and that prevention must begin in supermarkets, open markets, and food production lines, where decisions are made, with the Heart Mark logo serving as a simple visual cue to guide consumers.

The experts insist that the fight against NCDs may not be won in hospitals, but in markets where a small red heart on a food label could quietly become one of Nigeria's most powerful public health tools, as Akinroye described it as both consumer protection and industry reform.