Unmeasured food quantity: Cause of chronic diseases in Ghana

For about 95 per cent of the population, especially within the African continent, food is seen as a substance ingested just to satisfy hunger, as a cultural inheritance, exhibits affluence and a major humanity norm. 

All human activities and works come with measurements such as clothing tailoring, building engineering, sporting selection, items/device production, pharmacological therapy preparations and the like. This is an innate trait from man’s creator and must transcend in every facet of life for which dieting is inclusive. Unfortunately, this is set to nought by more than three-quarters of the population across the globe.

Ever considered why drugs are prepared with quantified measured chemical components taken for treatment of a specific diseased condition? I believe you have. It is based on the body’s requirements to prevent overdose and the problems associated with it. Even with that, there could still be side effects depending on its usage.

A typical instance may be acetaminophen (paracetamol) indicated for moderate pain and pyrexia where 0.5g-1g may be taken every four to six hours with a maximum daily dose of 4g, above this dosage or overuse may have adverse effects such as haematological reactions, skin reactions, allergic reactions and above all, liver damage.

Similarly, food also contains chemical molecular components that support living things, more specifically humans. That is the basis for the popular saying, “You are what you eat”. It is documented that healthy eating behaviour maintains a healthy weight, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and eliminates eating behaviours seen as disorders to promote overall health.

Uncontrolled

Uncontrolled energy intake from macro nutrients-carbohydrates, proteins and fat has resulted in these chronic diseases: obesity, undernutrition, gastroesophageal reflux disease, cancers of the (breast, prostate, oesophagus, gastric, gall bladder, liver, colon and anal, etc.), overeating exacerbate ulcer symptoms, gallstones, kidney stones, constipation, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, haemorrhoids, atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, nephrotic syndrome, cirrhosis, dyslipidaemia, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, gout, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, premenstrual syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, uterine myoma, sub-fertility in both sexes, cataract and glaucoma just to mention a few.

Micronutrients, on the other hand, are made up of all vitamins and minerals. When they are insufficient, it is termed as deficiency and also called toxicity when in excesses.

Whether in excess or deficiency, Micronutrients cause several chronic diseases such as xerosis, night blindness, keratomalacia, xeropthalmia, hyperkeratosis, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, multiple sclerosis, heart diseases, osteomalacia, haemophilia, cardiomegaly, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, beriberi, pellagra, insomnia, hydrocephalus, spinal bifida, encephalocele, anaemia, liver damage, depression, scurvy, seizures, coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, sexual dysfunction, immune dysfunction, congenital birth defects, diarrhoea, dermatitis, Wilson’s disease, goitre, cretinism, Keshan disease and increased mortality.

Quantity

In Ghana, many people do not take into consideration the quantity of food ingested per meal and throughout the day. This is even seen among the so-called health professionals and not to consider the ordinary Ghanaian who has less to no knowledge about nutrition and health.

This is a documented study conducted by a group of dietitians and myself a few years ago. As weight, height, gender and age form the basis for drug dosage, the same happens with food quantity intake.

Food quantity intake goes even further to consider lifestyle modules such as physical activity level, stress factors, alcoholism, smoking, underlying medical conditions and other assessment outcomes such as loss or gain weight.

A simple way to get an estimated amount of food required for your body is to multiply your current weight by this range (22-25) for a normal healthy individual. This will give the amount of food in kilocalories needed for the individual per day. This does not ensure optimum health, for detailed and individualised therapy, consult with a dietitian or nutritionist.

The incidence of genetic conditions and non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) is deeply rooted in what we eat daily. It is, therefore, crucial for individuals and stakeholders to uphold health and nutrition education across the country and worldwide to overturn this menace. We should always remember health is wealth.

The writer is the Lead Dietitian, 
Emmanuel Eye Medical Centre, East Legon.