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By Doris Obinna
Experts have urged the Federal Government to launch a nationwide public enlightenment and advocacy campaign promoting moderate sugar consumption as part of efforts to improve healthy living among citizens.
The call was made at a workshop organised by the Community Health Empowerment Foundation to sensitise the public on health-related issues and examine what scientific evidence truly says about sugar, metabolism and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
With themed: “Debunking the Linkages between Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs),” medical and clinical parasitologist, Dr. Godswill Iboma, argued that sugar has for decades been wrongly demonised in public discourse and lumped together with harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol. He said current scientific evidence does not support claims that moderate sugar intake directly causes NCDs such as diabetes, cancer or cardiovascular diseases.
According to him, while the dangers of alcohol and tobacco are well established, research has not produced conclusive proof linking moderate sugar consumption to the development of major non-communicable diseases. Rather, he described sugar as a macronutrient essential for human energy, growth and survival, noting that glucose derived from sugar is the primary source of fuel for most cells in the body.
Iboma criticised anti-sugar campaigns and policy recommendations that advocate drastic restrictions, saying such positions are “unscientific, regressive and unjust,” especially for vulnerable populations who rely heavily on affordable carbohydrate sources for daily energy needs. He warned that demonising sugar could encourage harmful practices that lead to a rise in hypoglycemia-related deaths, adding that more people die from low blood sugar than from high blood sugar complications.
He explained that in medical emergencies including hypoglycemia, severe malaria and cerebral malaria patients are often revived using glucose-infused solutions because the brain depends heavily on sugar for normal functioning. He noted that even routine occurrences such as children fainting during morning assemblies are linked to low glucose levels resulting from skipping breakfast.
Speaking on the broader burden of NCDs, Iboma highlighted cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung diseases as the four most common conditions globally. He stressed that lifestyle factors, environmental conditions, hereditary risk, malnutrition and lack of access to quality healthcare contribute more significantly to these diseases than sugar consumption. He cited poor living conditions in underserved communities, including parts of Abuja where residents lack access to clean water, as contributors to ill health.
Iboma further clarified the distinction between naturally occurring sugars found in fruits and honey and added or free sugars introduced by manufacturers, cooks or consumers. He emphasised that naturally occurring sugars are part of human nutrition by design, noting that “God put sugar in foods because it is essential,” unlike alcohol or tobacco which have no nutritional role.
He underscored the critical role of the pancreas and insulin in regulating blood sugar levels and managing diabetes, explaining that the disease arises when the body fails to produce or properly use insulin not from sugar consumption alone.
He further urged the government to intensify public awareness on balanced diets; healthy lifestyles and the importance of moderation instead of promoting restrictive policies that could harm vulnerable populations.
