Nutritionist Cautions against Use of Supplements, Consumption of Processed Food

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

A Nutrition Expert, Prof. Marshal Azeke, has stressed the need for people to consume supplements with caution because of their potential side effects and dangers to vital organs of the human body.

Instead, he recommended regular consumption of foods that are rich in antioxidants as part of healthy diet as well as regular exercises.

 Azeke, who is a professor of Nutrition, made the assertions while delivering the 95th Inaugural Lecture of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, titled; “Functional Foods: Making Food Your Medicine,” at the main campus of the university in Ekpoma.

He explained that though many of the supplements contained antioxidants, they could also have other uncharacterised phytochemicals in concentrations higher than liver and kidney thresholds.

According to him, antioxidants in their natural environment contained phytochemicals that were less than the threshold of the liver and kidney, hence the need for consumption foods rich in antioxidants.

“The use of these extracts or concentrations should be with caution. Some of these extracts may contain antioxidants and other yet uncharacterized phytochemicals in concentrations higher than the liver and kidney thresholds.

“Considering the potential risk involved, it is hereby recommended that antioxidants rich food be regularly consumed as part of healthy diets. This is because, in their natural environment, the phytochemicals are present in concentrations that are not above the liver thresholds,

“Besides, depending mainly on extracts, concentrates, and supplements for nutraceuticals will deprive the consumers the health benefits of other food components such as dietary fibres. We should consume healthy functional foods as our medicine in order to reduce the risk of taking medicine as our food,” he advised.

He also cautioned against the consumption of processed food, and called on the government to come up with deliberate policies that would check the activities of producers of supplements and extracts to ensure they do not contain phytochemicals that are harmful to the body.

The professor defined functional food as any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond the traditional nutrients it contains; pointing out for instance that the lycopene in tomatoes reduces the risk of cancer incidences like prostate, ovarian, gastric and pancreatic cancers.

He explained that oxidative could be harmful because it could give room for oxygen free radicals to attack biological molecules such as lipids, protein, and DNA.

He, however, added that it could be useful in some instances as it induced apoptosis to prepare the birth canal for delivery and also strengthens biological defence mechanisms during infection, appropriate physical exercise and ischemia.