Janet Ogundepo Nutritionists have backed the call by the Road Safety Corps for the adoption of bicycles as a mode of transportation in Nigeria, cting the importance of physical activities in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The nutrition experts said the move would reduce the alarming rate of obesity among Nigerians which had been identified by physicians as a risk factor for diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases They noted that the physical activity involved in pedaling the bicycle would help burn body fat and improve blood flow and lung health. The nutritionists further decried the rising rate of obesity in the country, which had a prevalence rate of 11.
6 per cent and 23 per cent. According to the World Health Organisation, obesity is abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that poses a health risk to the individual. It notes that a body mass index of over 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is obese.
The WHO reports that the rate of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents between the ages of five and 19 increased from two to nine per cent between 1990 and 2022 while that of adults doubled from seven to 16 per cent. The agency further noted that obesity was a double burden of malnutrition, stating that more people are obese than underweight. In what seems to be a renewed advocacy towards the adoption of bicycles by Nigerians, the FRSC recently suggested a transition to the use of bicycles for transportation.
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