Some health experts on Tuesday warned against accumulation of excess fats around the waist as it could result in heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
The experts spoke in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
An Endocrinologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Dr. Olufemi Fasanmade, said that excess fats around the waistline indicated that organs including the heart and liver were at risk.
Fasanmade said that people who were obese tended to store fats around the organs when the body had run out of places to store them.
According to him, many people are unaware that fats around the hip, thigh and arms were not as dangerous as those around the organs.
Fasanmade said: “Even very thin people can be diagnosed to have lots of fats.
“Although genes can play a role in overweight, sedentary lifestyles are a very big contributor to having excess fats.”
The doctor said that modifying dietary habits could help to prevent fats around the waist.
He said: “Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, reduce the portions of meals you eat and reduce foods that contain saturated fats.
“A diet rich in fibre can help to prevent fats around the waist.”
Fasanmade advised people to measure their waistline regularly and maintain a healthy body weight.
He said that a woman’s waistline should not be more than 35 inches while that of a man should be less than 40 inches.
A Cardiologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Funmi Daniels, said that alcohol intake contributed to having fats around the waistline.
Daniels said that studies had shown that taking alcohol could cause hunger, thereby making people to eat more than required.
She said: “Apart from causing other diseases, alcohol can cause hunger, which can make people to eat the wrong types of food.
“These are habits that people need to begin to control to live healthy lives.”
A Physiotherapist in LUTH, Ummuklthoum Bakare, said that diet without exercise would not help to reduce excess fats.
According to Bakare, exercise helps to burn excess fats in the body and promotes wellbeing.
She said: “Being physically active helps to burn fats quickly.
“People need to form the habit of moving around often to help optimise the body system, thereby increasing the quality of life.”
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