Lack of exercise can cause diabetes, hypertension – Dietitian

A Dietitian, Mrs Sarah Abagai, says indulging in sedentary lifestyle without regular physical exercise can cause diabetes and hypertension.

Abagai, who is the Head of Dietetics at the National Hospital Abuja, told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Abuja on Monday that Nigerians should shun habits that will complicate their health status.

“We must make time for things from the moment we attain that age (40 years) but it becomes a change in our lifestyle so that we will be able contend with the changes in the body.

“Once people attain that age (40 years and above) they make a mistake of believing that they are indispensable; you must create time for recreation, exercise and then watch your diet.

“It means you must imbibe dietary discipline. There are certain foods that you must be begin to reduce the intake of, such as fat, sugar in the diet and imbibe healthy nutrition.

According to her, a lot has changed regarding the status of Nigerians now as many people are no longer used to trekking distances; they use cars and elevators.

“It has gotten to the extent that most people whose offices are on the second or third floor now ignore the stairs to use elevators while accumulating excess fats and sugar.

“We now go out to work, outside our family circles to interact with people from different backgrounds, encounter a lot of friction as a result of differences we can create tension from that.

“Apart from that you find out that city for most people life is really hectic because in some cities people have to contend with traffic, worry about rent, children’s school fees and making ends meet.

“The cost of living is very high generally.”

The dietitian also emphasised that there should be a normal line between people’s health and consumption of fast foods in general and moderation in diet which, in her view, is a major challenge.

She also noted that kidney-related crisis is as a result of a poorly controlled diabetes, adding that the kind of obesity prevailing now are adverse effects of the things we consume.