Health
PT Health Watch: Why high cholesterol is easy to miss but dangerous to ignore
Many people only discover they have high blood pressure or high blood sugar only after falling ill. But another major health risk often goes unnoticed because it rarely causes warning signs until serious complications develop.
High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes. Because it usually causes no symptoms, many people may be living with dangerously high cholesterol levels without knowing it.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), raised cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and stroke.
The organisation says that reducing saturated fats, eliminating industrial trans fats, eating a healthy diet, staying physically active and avoiding tobacco can help lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The WHO also notes that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year.
Similarly, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says high cholesterol often has no symptoms, making regular screening essential because many people only discover they have it after developing heart disease or suffering a stroke.
Although high cholesterol is often associated with older adults, health experts warn that changing lifestyles, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are increasing the risk among younger people as well.
To better understand the hidden dangers of high cholesterol, PT HEALTH WATCH spoke with Happiness Akinde, a medical doctor, on who is most at risk, why regular screening matters and the everyday habits that could silently be increasing cholesterol levels.
Who is most at risk?
Mrs Akinde said that while anyone can develop high cholesterol, certain groups face a significantly higher risk.
According to her, these include people above the age of 40, those who are overweight or obese, and individuals living with diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease.
People with a family history of high cholesterol or early heart disease are also more likely to develop the condition.
She added that smoking and excessive alcohol consumption further increase the risk.
“Particularly in Nigeria, the increasing consumption of processed foods and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have made high cholesterol more common, even among younger adults,” she said.
Why screening matters
Mrs Akinde explained that many people mistakenly believe they would notice if their cholesterol levels were high.
However, she said high cholesterol is often described as a “silent condition” because it usually causes no symptoms.
“A person may feel completely healthy while cholesterol gradually builds up inside the arteries over many years. Many people only discover they have high cholesterol after developing complications such as a heart attack or stroke,” she said.
For this reason, she stressed the importance of routine cholesterol screening.
She advised that healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked at least once between the ages of 20 and 35, particularly if they have risk factors.
From the age of 40, she said cholesterol should generally be checked every four to six years, or more frequently for people living with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, those who smoke or have a family history of heart disease.
People already diagnosed with high cholesterol, she added, should follow their doctor’s recommendations for more frequent monitoring.
Health risks
Mrs Akinde explained that excess cholesterol gradually accumulates inside blood vessels, forming plaques that narrow and harden the arteries in a process known as atherosclerosis.
She said reduced blood flow to the heart can result in chest pain or a heart attack, while reduced blood flow to the brain can cause a stroke.
She added that high cholesterol also increases the risk of peripheral artery disease, which reduces blood flow to the legs, causing pain and poor wound healing.
Everyday habits that raise cholesterol
Mrs Akinde identified several lifestyle habits that contribute to high cholesterol.
These include eating large amounts of fried foods, fast foods, pastries, processed meats and foods rich in saturated or trans fats, alongside physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and being overweight.
She encouraged Nigerians to adopt healthier eating habits by consuming more vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains and fish where affordable.
She also recommended boiling, grilling, steaming or baking foods instead of deep frying, while reducing the intake of fatty meat, processed foods and sugary drinks.
Beyond diet, she advised adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, every week, maintain a healthy weight, avoid smoking and limit alcohol consumption.
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Importantly, she noted that healthy eating does not always have to be expensive.
“Locally available foods such as beans, vegetables like ugwu and efo, okro, garden eggs, sweet potatoes, oats and fresh fruits can support heart health,” she said.
The danger of reusing cooking oil
Mrs Akinde also warned against repeatedly reheating cooking oil, a common practice in many homes and roadside food businesses.
According to her, every time cooking oil is heated to very high temperatures, it breaks down and forms harmful compounds, including oxidised fats, which may increase inflammation and raise the risk of heart disease.
She advised that cooking oil should be discarded once it becomes very dark, thick, develops a foul smell, produces excessive smoke or begins to foam during heating.
“Ideally, deep frying oil should not be reused many times, especially after prolonged or repeated high-heat frying,” she said.
Know your numbers
Mrs Akinde urged Nigerians not to wait until symptoms appear before paying attention to their heart health.
She advised Nigerians to know their health numbers before symptoms appear by checking their blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight regularly, even when they feel well, while maintaining a balanced diet and staying physically active.
In addition, she urged Nigerians to avoid smoking and going for regular medical check-ups, noting that small, consistent lifestyle changes can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
“High cholesterol is silent, but its complications are not. Get tested, eat wisely, stay active and protect your heart.”
The federal government has urged the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to strengthen professional accountability and take a leading role in the fight against quackery in the health sector.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the NMA’s First Ordinary National Executive Council meeting of the new National Executive Committee for 2026.
The meeting, themed “Transforming Healthcare Practice in Nigeria: Building Trust, Accountability and Collaborative Excellence”, brought together medical practitioners, senior members of the profession, government officials and policymakers.
Health sector reforms
Mr Salako said the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, signed in December 2023, had recorded 84 per cent implementation, according to the 2025 Joint Annual Review.
He said the health sector’s share of the national budget had risen to 5.2 per cent, while funding under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) increased from N131.5 billion in 2024 to N299 billion in 2026.
He said the increased investment had translated into improvements in primary healthcare delivery.
“More than 8,000 primary health care centres now receive direct facility financing, close to 4,000 PHCs have been upgraded, and monthly patient visits to Fund-supported facilities have risen from about 10 million in early 2024 to 45 million by mid-2025,” Mr Salako said.
He also highlighted gains under the Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative, saying the 172 local government areas with the highest burden recorded a 17 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12 per cent reduction in newborn deaths.
According to him, more than 48,000 women received free emergency obstetric care, while over 4,000 free caesarean sections were performed in National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) empanelled facilities.
He added that more than 4,700 women received free vesico-vaginal fistula repairs across 207 facilities.
On health insurance, Mr Salako said coverage had increased from about 16 million Nigerians in 2023 to more than 22 million.
Health workforce
Mr Salako said 37,000 health workers had been recruited into federal hospitals since 2024, while medical school quotas had been doubled to 10,000.
He added that N110 billion had been committed to upgrading 18 training institutions.
He also said a National Policy on Health Workforce Migration and a Diaspora Health Portal had been adopted.
Call for accountability
Mr Salako said the government was delivering on funding and policy, but patients ultimately judged the health system by their experiences with healthcare professionals.
He therefore urged the NMA to strengthen clinical governance, ensure accurate reporting of deaths and conclude disciplinary cases.
He also condemned absenteeism, the diversion of patients to private facilities and informal payments by healthcare workers.
“The government will never sacrifice public health on the altar of professional solidarity,” he said.
On quackery, Mr Salako described the practice as “homicide by instalment”.
READ ALSO: Federal govt launches alcohol policy, targets harmful use, illicit trade
He also cited the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) removal of falsified drugs worth N1 trillion from Aba, Onitsha and Lagos.
Organ harvesting investigation
Mr Salako also announced an investigation into a viral report alleging the existence of an organ-harvesting syndicate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through its National Tertiary Health Institutions Standard Committee, had developed national standards and guidelines for organ and tissue transplantation.
According to him, the guidelines require informed consent and prohibit the commercialisation of organ and tissue transplantation.
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The federal government has been urged to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and increase domestic investment in health research to safeguard Nigeria’s public health system amid declining international donor funding.
Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), made the call at a news conference in Abuja.
The briefing was held ahead of the fourth IRCE Annual Scientific Symposium scheduled to take place from 31 August to 1 September.
The symposium is themed “Shaping the Future of Public Health Research through Sustainable Funding, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and Innovation.”
Ms Abimiku said recent cuts in global health funding, including support from major international donors, underscored the need for Nigeria to strengthen local financing for research and build sustainable capacity.
She said stronger domestic investment would help the country address emerging health challenges and reduce its vulnerability to fluctuations in external funding.
Ms Abimiku said that many Nigerian researchers relied heavily on international grants, warning that shrinking research budgets could weaken the country’s ability to compete for funding and generate locally relevant evidence.
“We are asking government to begin investing in research. It may not be as much as international funding, but it can keep researchers productive, build capacity and sustain innovation.
“Disease outbreaks will not stop because funding has been reduced. HIV, cancer, sickle cell disease, Lassa fever and future pandemics will continue to challenge us, so we must prepare,” she said.
According to her, AI presents an opportunity to improve research productivity, accelerate data analysis and strengthen evidence-based decision-making when deployed responsibly and ethically.
She, however, cautioned researchers against over-dependence on AI, emphasising that innovation, critical thinking and scientific curiosity must remain central to the research process.
“AI can summarise years of research within seconds, but researchers must continue to ask critical questions, experiment and innovate.
“We must use AI to enhance, not replace, scientific thinking,” she said.
The symposium
Ms Abimiku explained that the symposium would explore how AI and machine learning could complement reduced research funding by improving efficiency while safeguarding data privacy and ethical standards.
She added that a pre-symposium hackathon had been introduced to expose researchers, healthcare professionals, and young innovators to practical AI tools to solve public health challenges.
According to her, the initiative is designed to bridge the gap between experienced researchers and younger professionals already familiar with emerging AI technologies.
Ms Abimiku urged policymakers, industry leaders and researchers to collaborate to develop sustainable research funding mechanisms that reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign support.
She cited South Africa’s model of competitive, government-funded research grants as an example of how countries could sustain scientific innovation despite reductions in international funding.
Also speaking, Sophia Osawe, head of research operations at IRCE, said the centre’s Inform Africa programme was already deploying AI and machine learning to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness for disease outbreaks.
Ms Osawe explained that the programme used big data to predict disease trends and identify communities requiring urgent interventions, including vaccine deployment during pandemics such as HIV and COVID-19.
“These AI-powered tools help the government identify where interventions are most needed so resources can be deployed more efficiently and lives protected,” she said.
Similarly, James Onyemata, head of molecular diagnostics at IRCE, emphasised Nigeria’s strategic role in regional disease surveillance and genomic monitoring.
READ ALSO: Top AI CEOs speak about regulation of artificial intelligence, challenges, opportunities
According to him, with Nigeria accounting for about half of West Africa’s population, genomic surveillance data generated in the country are essential for developing vaccines effective against circulating virus strains.
“If we do not provide this information, vaccines developed elsewhere may not adequately protect populations in West Africa because they may not target the variants circulating here,” Onyemata said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the symposium will continue with technical sessions on ethical AI, genomic surveillance, pandemic preparedness, sustainable research financing and innovations aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s public health system.
(NAN)
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