There is low consumption of dairy products in Nigeria when compared with other countries. Principal reason among them is knowledge gap of its health benefits. Foremost dairy products manufacturer, CHI Limited has continued the national discourse through its Hollandia Dairy Day Conference 2022 to create awareness on the health benefits of dairy products and push for increased consumption for a healthy nation. Daniel Obi writes.
Danger of Malnutrition
In Nigeria, 37 percent of about 31 million children under five years are stunted, according to official figures by United States Agency for International Aid, USAID. Stunted growth is as a result of malnutrition.
Malnutrition, which occurs when the body doesn’t get enough nutrients or as a result from imbalances in a person’s food intake, according to health experts, also lowers intellectual quotient (IQ), causes greater behavioural problems, deficient social skills and increases susceptibility to contracting diseases, lowers performance in education and low productivity in adulthood.
Malnutrition prevents children from reaching their full physical and mental potential as the time of brain development is within the first 1,000 days of a child and that is from conception to two years of age, and any impairment to the brain might be irreversible.
Ordinarily, when children manifest these health problems which follow them into adolescence and adult age, the society is at great risk of having too many mal-behavioural challenges, and low productivity. But when there are well developed children and adults, there will likely be a functional system, which will impact positively on the economy.
Tackling Malnutrition
One of the cost effective ways of tackling deficiency in human being of all ages and improving nutrition, according to nutrition experts, is through consumption of dairy products, as milk has been identified as a single complete food that has the necessary nutrients in the right proportion that helps individuals’ tissues and bone development.
Milk is a natural, whole food made up of water, protein, fat, carbohydrates in the form of lactose, vitamins and minerals including calcium and phosphorous, and a range of other bioactive compounds that the body needs. Dairy consumption also enhances cognition, understanding, knowledge and intellect.
But how many Nigerians understand the importance of dairy consumption, as it is seen as a luxury food? To demystify this belief and create necessary awareness about milk consumption, CHI Limited, manufacturer of Hollandia range of dairy products in Nigeria, which include Hollandia Yoghurt and Hollandia Milk, last year began a campaign to promote the conversation and national discourse around dairy consumption and its health benefits to consumers of all ages under ‘Hollandia Dairy Day’ celebration every May 18.
At this year’s edition, with the theme: “Dairy Nourishment to Support Healthy Living”, graced by participants across health and nutrition industry, speakers decried the low consumption of dairy products in Nigeria.
World Health Organisation, WHO recommends average consumption of 240 litres of dairy consumption per individual per year, but while other countries rank above 120 litres, Nigeria’s average dairy consumption is about 8 litres per individual per year which is considered very low.
The Managing Director of CHI Limited, Eelco Weber, told BusinessDay at the event that because of the importance of health benefits of dairy consumption, CHI Limited, incorporated in 1980 with the vision of production of food products to meet the needs of Nigerian consumers, is making dairy products affordable, available and accessible to many consumers as much as possible. “We are also working with all the stakeholders, including government, to educate many people on the concept of dairy consumption.”
“As leaders in dairy production, we are taking it very seriously to make sure we have this engagement with the community about the health benefits of dairy consumption. It contributes to healthy body and healthy mind, and this is crucial to us.”
In her presentation, Patience Chimah Madubuko, a Chief Dietitian at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said good nutrition and adequate diet are important for growth and development all through life cycle. Relying on World Health Organisation statistics, she said malnutrition is the gravest single threat to global public health.
Globally, malnutrition contributes to 45 percent of deaths of children aged under 5 years. About 41 percent of Nigerian children under age five suffer stunted growth as a result of malnutrition, while about one million are threatened.
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According to her, human milk is considered the ideal source of nutrition for optimal development of the infant. Emphasising further on the importance of milk consumption, she said adolescence period is particularly important for the development of lifelong bone health as increased calcium is needed during adolescence (from 11 years onwards).
“Almost 90% of a person’s bone strength is achieved by age of 18, hence an adequate calcium–rich food in the lead up to adulthood is important. National Diet and Nutrition Survey reported that 22% of 11– to 18–year–olds are not getting the calcium they need. Some teenage boys (12%) are also missing out. Unfortunately, many teenagers, particularly girls, are short of calcium.”
Stating that milk keeps seniors going, Chimah Madubuko said milk nutrition fights osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, according to experts, is a health condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years, and it is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden impact causes a bone to break (fracture).
Milk consumption also maintains bone strength, muscle strength, fills the food gap and provides comfort in golden years.
In a philosophical description of the effect of low ranking of dairy consumption in Nigeria, Chimah Madubuko said the effect occurs both ways. She said the economy has impact on it, and it has impact on the economy. “When you have well developed children and adults, you have a functional system, and when you have a generation of poor cognitive development, what do you expect to see in the economy?”
All of these make an individual, and an individual makes a nation, and when this happens, the nation would do well, in turn helping the individual. If people are so poor that they cannot afford dairy products, it will affect their nutritional status and affect the nation. Malnutrition status in Nigeria is alarming.
Backing the Managing Director of CHI Limited, Eelco Weber, on the need to promote dairy consumption, Madubuko said understanding the importance of dairy consumption is a function of knowledge and awareness. It is not determined by pocket. What is important is adequate knowledge and having the right knowledge. “One can have the money, but without knowledge, it will still lead to malnourishment.”
“I don’t think that the pocket can determine how well and good your nutrition can be. It is about what you know and what you are adding. Knowledge is key than pocket.”
She said a lot of mothers are getting it wrong not to breast feed their children because they want to look good. She reminded such mothers that an exclusively breast fed child is a healthy child that will not consume hospital bills. The child will grow and develop well as all the nutrients the child needs are in the right proportion and amount embedded in breast milk. “If you don’t breast feed the child, the child is susceptible to infection, immunity is low, and the family will spend more money in hospital.”
With understanding that the time of brain development is within the first 1000 days of a child, from conception to two years of age, she said mothers need encouragement to exclusively breast feed their children so that the society will have good children, and good adults, which will impact generally on society.
In his presentation, entitled “Dairy Products and Cognitive Function”, resident doctor at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Obatomi Alalade, “drew the link between dairy consumption and improved cognitive functions.”
“For example, the presence of Calcium and Vitamin D in milk supports the healthy cognitive functions in human. Cognition is a term referring to the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and comprehension,” he said. Some of the many different cognitive processes include thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving.
Quoting new study by researchers from the University of South Australia and University of Maine, Obatomi said adults who consume dairy products at least once daily have higher cognitive function than those who rarely or never drink milk or eat dairy foods.
In a study of more than a thousand adults from Japan, researchers found that those who consumed a higher amount of low fat milk and yoghurt were less likely to develop symptoms of depression, Obatomi said, stating that dairy products contain rich supplements of calories, proteins, calcium and vitamin D which have been researched to be important in maintaining good cognitive functions.
While encouraging consumers to make the consumption of dairy products as parts of their daily meal plan, the forum agreed that dairy consumption is critical for helping to resolve the burden of malnutrition in Nigeria because of its essential nutritional components that spur the growth and development of the body when consumed daily.
