Kola nut injurious to heart, says‎ medical expert

A medical expert, Dr Ikechu‎kwu Arinze of the General Hospital, Minna in Niger, has warned the populace against consumption of Kola nut, saying it is dangerous to the heart.


Arinze gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Minna.

According to him, the long term effect of Kola nut consumption is dangerous to the heart, because Kola nut has nicotine which causes increase in the heart beat‎ and endangers it.

“There is no nutritional benefit in consumption of Kola nut. What it does is to stimulate one to be alert, but it takes its toll on the heart.

“Similarly, cigarette smokers are as endangered as Hemp smokers, as both take toll on the heart; while alcoholism worsens heart problems,’’ he said.

Arinze also warned against intake of junk foods, which he said, had a lot of saturated fat.

He said that to eat healthy, one had to eat fruits and vegetables and exercise the body regularly, at least two to three times a week.

“The exercise must last for one hour 30 minutes per training and must be done two or three times a week.‎

“Exercise is like energising the heart with stamina for the vascular system to withstand sudden stress.

“It makes the blood vessel to flow well; it makes the heart to firm-up and function well,” he said.

Arinze ‎said that the high intake of salt was also an enemy of the heart, because it kills the heart gradually.

“If we gradually have less salt, our salt drive‎ will adjust.

“The more there is salt in our diet, the more there is going to be water retention in our body, more water in our blood and this increases the pressure in our blood vessels.

“This leads to hypertension over a period of time, and increases the pressure in our blood vessel‎,” he said.

‎Arinze advised that vegetable oil should not be compromised for animal oil, saying that a lot of fruits should be taken. (NAN)‎