A Dietician at Wuse General Hospital, Abuja, Hajiya Jummai Abdu, on Wednesday said that moderate consumption of Kola nuts could promote healthy digestion.
According to her, Kola nuts is said to increase the production of gastric acid in the body which is known to promote healthy digestion, though, it is considered unsafe during pregnancy.
Also, an Abuja-based Consultant General Surgeon, Dr Dades Obed, says kola nut is a fruit of the kola tree, which is native to Africa. It has social, cultural and religious significance.
Obed said Kola nut had caffeine, medically known as a `bronchodilator’, which opened up the air ways. “So, people with asthma and other diseases that lead to constriction of the air ways might benefit from intake of kola nut to help in opening up the air ways.
He said that kola nut was also partly a performance enhancer because of its stimulating effect; as such, labourers used it as a source of energy to keep working.
“Kola nut is also known to suppress hunger and takes care of hunger pranks. It is not without its implications anyway, it enhances or increases acid secretion in the stomach,” he said.
Obed said that kola nuts could worsen peptic ulcer disease because of the acidic effect on the stomach, saying that people with such symptoms should avoid it.
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