Do you drink sodas? If the answer is in affirmative, then you have been drinking yourself into an early grave.
Prof. Moses Kamya, the Dean, School of Medicine at Makerere University encourages Ugandans to keep off sodas for it is dangerous for one’s health.
“It is very unhealthy to take sodas,” Prof. Kamya, a Physician said.
He added: “On average a soda contains 12 spoonfuls of sugar. When you have high sugar levels, it becomes dangerous (to take soda) because the immediate sugar is turned into fat which can easily make you diabetic.”
Prof. Kamya made the remarks during a media training workshop on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) held at Sheraton Hotel Kampala on Monday morning.
When asked about the quantity of soda he can recommend, Kamya said, “even one soda is too much. You don’t die by not taking soda. Avoiding it is healthier.”
He encourages Ugandans to stop drinking artificial sugars for fruits and vegetables.
On alcohol, Kamya said although research suggests a little consumption of alcohol is good; to a greater extent it is unhealthy.
The training comes after Makerere University College of Health Sciences partnered with St. Augustine International University to host the first international NCDs symposium slated for February 12th -15th 2018 in Kampala.
NCDs also known as chronic or lifestyle diseases are diseases that are not transferable from one person to another either through direct contact or vectors.
Dr. Bruce Kirenga, Director at Makerere University Lung Institute says common and dangerous NCDs include cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases such chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma.
Others are sickle cell disease, mental diseases and injuries and violence.
He noted that NCDs account for 70% of all deaths globally annually. In Uganda, NCDs account for 40% of all death annually.
The symposium aims to raise awareness about the dangers of silent NCDs that are claiming many lives of Ugandans and forge a way forward on how better to prevent them.
Details on this story to follow
