In the society today, many people are battling with obesity, which mostly starts from adding more weights to their initial body structures. There have been calls from medical experts and nutritionists for people to watch what they consume.
Gone are the days when those on the big side were seen as comfortable or wealthy people. Nowadays, both sexes want to keep their body in shape as much as possible by engaging in exercises and cutting down on their intake of fat or fatty foods.
According to reports, some experts have estimated that about 10% to 25% of teenagers and 20% to 50% of adults have weight problem.
Even in North America, where there are increasing focus over the past few decades on weight loss, exercise and reduced fat intake, the problem is on the increase.
For those who may not know, obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat tissue. Some health practitioners define obesity by the amount of fat content of the body. Obesity is usually defined as a body fat content greater than 25% of the total weight for males, or greater than 30% of the total weight for females.
The recommended body fat content for men is 15% to 18%; for women, it’s 20% to 25%. These percentages vary with age, increasing as one gets older.
A recent study of 12 secondary schools in Ondo State, Nigeria on obesity published by the African Journal of Biomedical Research revealed that 332 (16.3%) were underweight, 117 (5.8%) were overweight, 23 (1.1%) were obese and 1559 (76.8%) were in the normal range. Underweight was 224 (16.47%) in the urban and 108 (16.09%) in the rural. Overweight was 64 (4.70%) in the urban and 53 (7.90%) in the rural while obesity was 0.96% in the urban and 1.49% in the rural areas.
The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis at p=0.05. A total of 2031 (1126 males and 905 females), students participated in the study and BMI/A was used to carry out the study.
However, when Genevieve Nnaji, a top actress in Nigeria, was announced as the brand ambassador of Amstel Malta, a malt drink that prides itself as the low sugar malt drink with no alcohol, it was in the news and many fans of the superstar rejoiced with her.
In fact, from what we gathered, some die-hard fans of Genevieve, who used to consume other brands of malt drinks in Nigeria, quickly switched allegiance to Amstel Malta.
But at the recently concluded Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMCVA), Genevieve dropped a bombshell and told the audience to consume Amstel Malta for them to get fat, thereby causing more problems for the society and the government.
The actress was to present the award of the Best Actor of the year, which was eventually won by OC Ukeje.
Speaking before the presentation, Genevieve advised that Amstel Malta should be taken and then said, “get fat”, but this got to the audience as a surprise.
What many observers still cannot understand is if Amstel Malta is a drink that actually contains elements that can cause obesity, which has become a global issue.
Efforts made by us to speak with representatives of Nigerian Breweries Plc, which produces the drink under the license of Amstel Brouwerij B.V in the Netherlands, proved abortive.
