Amid the severe economic challenges currently plaguing the nation and the urgent need for numerous households to adopt strategies for survival, experts are cautioning against the practice of repeatedly reusing cooking oil due to associated health hazards.

The prevailing economic crisis is fueling the adoption of unhealthy behaviors among Nigerians as they strive to navigate the challenging circumstances, with reusing cooking oil becoming a common coping mechanism.

In January 2024, Nigeria witnessed a surge in the annual inflation rate, reaching a nearly 28-year peak of 29.9 percent, a worrisome escalation from the December figure of 28.9 percent and surpassing market predictions of 29.5 percent.

Against the backdrop of a rise in non-communicable diseases and instances of sudden death, experts are underlining the importance of prioritizing healthy lifestyle choices despite the prevailing hardships.

As reported by Wakadaily , nutritionists and cardiovascular specialists have underscored the detrimental health implications of reusing cooking oil, particularly due to its trans fat content, deemed the most harmful type of fat for consumption.

Trans fats, they emphasized, offer no discernible health advantages and are a leading factor in the global prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.

Experts noted that the reuse of cooking oil, especially prevalent among food vendors, is exacerbating the incidence of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria, with a notable surge in cases that is increasingly alarming.

Professor Ignatius Onimawo, renowned for his expertise in Public Health Nutrition and a former Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University in Edo State, cautioned that reusing vegetable oil or any cooking oil beyond a couple of uses could heighten the risk of developing cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks, hypertension, and strokes.

The distinguished professor further highlighted that excessive heating of vegetable oil can trigger its conversion into trans fat, emphasizing the harmful impact of trans fats on health.

In a stark warning, the nutritionist highlighted the repercussions of accumulative fat deposits in and around blood vessels, which could lead to the development of hypertension—a grave health concern that cannot be overlooked.

“They (trans fatty acids) harden the arteries which are supposed to be flexible. So, when the plagues are there, that particular blood vessel becomes non-flexible.”

“And therefore, when it is not flexible, it can’t expand to accommodate

pressure and if that happens continuously, the blood pressure begins to increase and sometimes, that is the origin of high blood pressure.

“If this continues, you know that high blood pressure is a precursor to a lot of things that have to do with heart disease”, the nutritionist pinpointed.

He advocated for greater awareness of the health dangers of overheating and repeatedly reusing vegetables, as well as the risks associated with trans fat consumption.

Onimawo stressed the importance of being health-conscious, warning that developing high blood pressure poses significant risks.

The nutritionist encouraged Nigerians to consume more fruits and vegetables and urged the government to deploy health officers to inspect food vendors and ensure the safety of fried foods sold to the public.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ramon Moronkola, a cardiologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, emphasized that various factors, including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyles, can harm the heart.

He noted that an unhealthy lifestyle has long-term negative effects on the heart and pointed out that the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases has risen recently due to unhealthy eating habits and lifestyles.

According to the World Health Organization, heating and frying oil at high temperatures increases trans fat concentrations, which raises the risk of heart disease and death by 28%.

“On average, the level of trans fat has been found to increase by 3.67 g/100g after heating, and by 3.57 g/100g after frying.

“Approximately 540,000 deaths each year can be attributed to the intake of industrially produced trans-fatty acids.
“High trans fat intake increases the risk of death from any cause by 34 per cent, coronary heart disease deaths by 28 per cent, and coronary heart disease by 21 per cent.

“This is likely due to the effect on lipid levels: trans fat increases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Trans fat has no known health benefits”, WHO said.

Researchers in a 2019 article published in PubMed Central journal titled, “Impact of consumption of repeatedly heated cooking oils on the incidence of various cancers- A critical review”,

Repeatedly heating vegetable oils at high temperatures during cooking produces a range of harmful compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are known to be cancer-causing.

According to experts, repeatedly heated cooking oil, which is now a common cooking and frying medium, can have various harmful effects when consumed, including increasing the risk of different types of cancer.

“Repeatedly heated cooking oil consumption and inhalation of cooking fumes can pose a serious health hazard. Studies demonstrated that the health adverse effects of repeatedly heated cooking oils and their cooking fumes have been often attributed to their detrimental properties and ease of genotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic activities”, the researchers highlighted.