According to a recent study, females in the Volta Region drink more locally brewed alcohol called Akpeteshie than is advised.
66.67% of females abuse the strong alcoholic drink, according to a study done in collaboration by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Allied Health Sciences. The researchers searched for regional patterns in the consumption of the well-known beverage.
It was conducted by Elvis Nutifafa Agbley, Dr. Fidelis Kpodo, and Dr. Nii Korley Kortei at the University of Allied Health Sciences’ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, and it was published in the Journal, Scientific African’s 2023 issue.
Although the study found that men consumed a lot of akpeteshie, it also found that women abused the beverage more.
“There is the need to intensify regulatory and health promotion efforts,” , following the discovery, doctors Fidelis Kpodo and Nii Korley Kortei are reported to have advised.
Along with the high consumption, the study looked at the samples of Akpeteshie for the presence of ethanol and contaminants like methanol, lead, copper, and iron.
Along with the high consumption, the study looked at the samples of Akpeteshie for the presence of ethanol and contaminants like methanol, lead, copper, and iron.
Methanol and lead were not found in the study’s sample collection, which included no less than 140 alcohol consumers.
Although it has not been proven that those metals have had harmful health effects on Akpeteshie consumers, the detection of copper and iron above permissible levels raises concern.
Due to the material composition of the pipes used for the distillation processes, which are primarily made of copper and other copper alloys, the scientist expressed concern that excessive consumption of akpeteshie could cause the development of cancer and other adverse health problems, such as liver and kidney problems.
They also cautioned that the accumulation of toxic metals that are released into the drink and consumed over time could cause liver cancer.
The researchers continued by stressing the need to monitor alcohol use generally because excessive alcohol consumption may harm consumers’ cardiovascular systems by raising their risk of heart disease, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart diseases, particularly for younger women and sometimes pregnant women.
