Silent killer: Re-using cooking oil fuelling hypertension, heart attack — Experts

Health professionals have expressed concern regarding the prevalent practice of reusing cooking oil by food vendors and households throughout Nigeria, cautioning that this behavior is contributing to a perilous increase in hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, and other life-threatening cardiovascular conditions.

As economic difficulties compel households and street vendors to reduce expenses, many are now excessively reusing cooking oil, a trend that experts indicate is exacerbating the nation’s already significant burden of non-communicable diseases.

Experts assert that non-communicable diseases, which include diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and cancers, represent some of the public health challenges and pose one of the most significant threats to the health and future of our nation.

The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Akinbode Oluwafemi, states that non-communicable diseases currently account for approximately 30 percent of all fatalities in Nigeria annually.

Nutritionists and cardiologists who provided insights referred to repeatedly heated oil as a “silent killer,” emphasizing that it is filled with trans fats — the most detrimental type of fat associated with heart attacks, hardened arteries, and sudden death.

A Professor of Public Health Nutrition and former Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Ignatius Onimawo, cautioned that using vegetable oil more than twice exposes consumers to significant cardiovascular risks.

“Overheating oil transforms it into trans fat,” he remarked. “These trans fatty acids cause arteries to harden, rendering blood vessels inflexible. When vessels cannot expand to accommodate pressure, blood pressure increases — and that is frequently the onset of hypertension.”

Onimawo further noted that the ongoing accumulation of fat around the blood vessels ultimately leads to conditions such as strokes and heart failure. He urged Nigerians to refrain from using repeatedly heated oil and to prioritize the consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly during the economic downturn.

Calling for government intervention, he recommended that environmental and health inspectors enhance their monitoring of food vendors to guarantee that fried foods offered to the public are safe for consumption.

A Consultant Cardiologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Ramon Moronkola, stated that the increase in cardiovascular diseases is directly associated with unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles adopted by numerous Nigerians facing financial difficulties.

"Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and elevated cholesterol levels are on the rise partly due to the unhealthy methods of food preparation and consumption," he remarked. "The long-term impact on heart health is catastrophic."

Global health authorities echo these concerns. The World Health Organisation cautions that heating and frying oil at elevated temperatures significantly boosts trans fat levels, increasing the risk of heart disease and mortality by as much as 28 percent.

According to the WHO, approximately 540,000 deaths annually are attributed to the intake of industrially produced trans fats, which elevate "bad" cholesterol while diminishing "good" cholesterol levels.

In addition to heart disease, researchers also emphasize the risks of cancer. A 2019 review published in PubMed Central revealed that oil that has been heated multiple times produces harmful compounds — including carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — that can lead to genetic damage, mutations, and cancer.

The researchers warned that both the consumption of reused oil and the inhalation of fumes from overheated oil present significant long-term health risks.