Excessive junk food and sedentary lifestyles threaten heart and brain health – UGMC CEO warns

Chief Executive Officer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre Ltd. (UGMC), Dr Abdul-Samed Tanko, has urged Ghanaians to adopt healthier lifestyles, warning that sedentary habits and excessive consumption of fatty foods could endanger their heart and brain health.

He said lifestyle choices, including excessive carbohydrate intake, physical inactivity and regular consumption of junk food, contribute to health problems that could be prevented through better dietary habits and changes in daily routines.

“Sedentary life, we become, the Englishman says, couch potatoes. We hardly get up to do some of these activities,” Dr Tanko told JoyNews in an interview.

He cautioned against excessive carbohydrate consumption, explaining that although carbohydrates are important, the quantity consumed and the timing of meals matter.

“We’re not saying that carbs are not good. Carbs are good, but you should watch the portion and the timing,” he said.

Dr Tanko also warned against making junk food, including burgers and fries, a regular part of people’s diets, particularly for children.

“If you don’t take your child to go and get a burger as a treat, fine. But when it becomes regular, we take so many of these fats that are endangering our health, our heart and our brains,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of primary healthcare, describing it as a key intervention for identifying and addressing health conditions before they develop into more serious complications.

He said the rollout of free primary healthcare could help identify patients whose conditions might otherwise go undetected until they developed complications such as strokes.

Dr Tanko further called for support from investors, religious bodies and other stakeholders to help complete and operationalise unfinished hospitals under the Agenda 111 initiative.

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