Studies have confirmed that reusing cooking oil can cause heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases with experts in recent times stating that these conditions are on the rise in the country. Yet, some food vendors and consumers say they are unaware of the health risks of using reheated, unhealthy cooking oil to prepare food. ANGELA ONWUZOO reports
Mr. Vitalis Ibekwe and two out of his four children love to take pap and beans cake popularly known as ‘Akara’ for dinner every night. This has been his favourite meal for years.
The security personnel who has a special customer at Palm Groove bus stop, Lagos, said he grew up to love eating ‘Akara’ when he went to live with one of his uncles in Aba, Abia State whose wife was into the business of frying and selling Akara.
The Imo State indigene told PUNCH HealthWise that he had been eating Akara for over 25 years without bothering about the type of cooking oil used in preparing it.
He, however, told our correspondent that he was aware that non-communicable diseases such as stroke, heart attack, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, kidney failure and cancer were on the rise in Nigeria.
The father of four, though, said he was not aware that the reuse of cooking oil in food preparation such as in frying Akara, yam and potatoes could predispose anyone to any of these diseases.
The 48-year-old security officer said, “I so much love Akara and I enjoy taking it with pap at night. I started liking it when I was young. When I was 15 years old, I went to live with one of my maternal uncles and his wife in Aba.
“My uncle’s wife, aunty Vero was selling Akara at the popular Ariaria Market junction in Aba, Abia State. So, I was assisting her in the business at that time.
“Every morning, before I go to school, I will go and help her in selling the Akara while she will be busy frying it. She also fried yam and potatoes along with the Akara.
“We had a lot of customers from different classes and fields. Commercial bus drivers and okada riders patronise us a lot. Schoolchildren were also our regular customers. They love the taste of aunty Vero’s Akara.
“We had a woman a few meters away from our shop who was into pap-making. Her business complemented ours. So, when customers finished buying Akara from us, they will go to the woman to buy pap to eat with the Akara.”
According to him, people enjoy buying the Akara morning and night which sometimes cost them sleepless nights to prepare to meet the demand of their customers.
“By 6:30 am, our akara is ready. I normally eat Akara with pap which we normally call Akamu in the Igbo language for breakfast before going to school.
“So, when I was a teenager, Akara was often my breakfast. Even after eating some quantities with pap at the shop, I will still take some to school to share with my friends. I had a lot of friends in secondary school because I was always bringing Akara to school.
“Even some of my teachers usually give me the money a day before to buy Akara for them when coming to school the next day.
“That was how I grew up loving Akara to date and two of my children also enjoy eating it. I buy it for them every night at the Palm Groove bus stop whenever I am returning from work. I have a customer there and she prepares it so well. Her Akara tastes like that of aunty Vero,” Ibekwe recounted.
On the reuse of cooking oil for frying Akara, he said, “Aunty Vero didn’t discard her oil after reusing it many times. Instead, she added a fresh one to the reused one. Sometimes, I assisted her to do that.
“We were not the only ones that did it. People are still doing it. For over 10 years that I lived with them and assisted her in the business, she did not discard her cooking oil for one day.
“I have not seen people that are into the business of frying Akara, potatoes and yam that discard their oil after multiple reuses either.
“Even if the oil becomes dark and thick like engine oil, they will still go ahead and use it by adding fresh ones to it. I am not aware that reusing cooking oil for frying foods and other food products is harmful to health. I am also not aware that overheating cooking oil can cause health problems.”
540,000 deaths recorded each year from trans fats – WHO
The World Health Organisation says there is evidence that heating and frying oil at high temperatures leads to an increase in trans fat concentrations.
According to the WHO, trans fat increases the risk of heart disease and death from heart disease by 28 per cent.
“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.
Mrs. Blessing Ndifereke also shared a similar experience with PUNCH HealthWise of her buying her children fried fish, Akara and potatoes from roadside food vendors without caring about the safety of cooking oil used in preparing them.
The 37-year-old trader and mother of three said, “Honestly my sister, I did not know that reusing cooking oil over and over again is bad for health.
“I have been buying Akara, potatoes and fish for my children for a long time without bothering about the oil they used in frying them. And many people are in the business now. The safety of the oil never crossed my mind. I will be a lot more careful now that you have brought it to my knowledge.”
Consumers and food vendors unaware of the health risks of trans fat
Some consumers and food vendors in the business of frying Akara, yam, potatoes, fish, meat and puff-puff who spoke with our correspondent appear not to be aware of the health risks associated with overheating and reusing cooking oil in food preparation.
PUNCH HealthWise findings show that the business of frying Akara, potatoes, yam, puff-puff, buns, fish and meat is thriving in the country with many of the food vendors engaging in unwholesome practices that undermine the health of the consumers.
One such unwholesome practice according to PUNCH HealthWise investigation is the reuse of cooking oil multiple times, which experts say could lead to cardiovascular diseases, especially heart attack.
Our correspondent observed that even young people are now in the business of frying Akara, potatoes and others as a means of livelihood.
They operate majorly in open places such as motor parks, bus stops, junctions and streets and a lot of people patronise them without a thought about safety or health.
PUNCH HealthWise gathered that discarding vegetable oil after reusing it many times is strange to the food vendors.
Many of them told our correspondent that it would be practically impossible for them to engage in the practice of discarding their cooking oils without reusing them considering the cost.