Dr Humshe Phillip, a dietician, has warned against incessant consumption of fast foods without regular exercise, saying it may increase the risk of obesity.
Phillip told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday that fast foods had little or no health benefits.
The dietician said that environmental factors, such as regular eating of fast foods, may increase the risk of obesity.
According to her, though fast foods may not directly cause obesity but consuming more calories than what the body could burn off is what causes weight gain.
She said everyone required the knowledge of the quantity of calories they should burn off daily as well as the number of calories in the food they ate, which could lead to weight gain.
She said that people who indulge in eating fast foods consume more calories than the people who do not eat them were prone to obesity.
“It is good to know your nutritional facts before going to your favourite fast food restaurant, to enable you determine how much calories is contained in the food you want to consume,’’ the dietician said.
Phillip added that hypertension could develop from the consumption of fast foods, which according to her contained high calories like salad dressing and butter with high fat content.
According to her, the relationship between hypertension, obesity and fast foods can be associated with the modern day “on-the-go” lifestyle and easy access to fast food outlets.
“The prevalence of hypertension is on the rise not only in adults but in children, which should be of concern to all, as some are linked to the type of food they consume,’’ she said.
According to her, physical exercises also improve the health but modern lifestyle has also made it more challenging. (NAN)