66.67 % of females in Volta Region drink Akpeteshie beyond acceptable limit – Study reveals

Females in the Volta Region consume more Akpeteshie, a locally manufactured alcoholic beverage, than the suggested maximum of 1-2 drinks per day, according to a new study performed jointly by the University of Allied Health Sciences and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The study found that 66.67% of females in the Volta Area abuse heavy alcoholic beverages.

The research was led by Elvis Nutifafa Agbley, Dr. Fidelis Kpodo, and Dr. Nii Korley Kortei from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Allied Health Sciences, and it was published in the 2023 edition of the Journal, Scientific African.

“There is the need to intensify regulatory and health promotion efforts,” Dr. Fidelis Kpodo and Dr. Nii Korley Kortei are quoted to have said following the discovery.

The study enlisted the participation of 140 alcoholic beverage consumers.

Due to the material composition of the pipes used in the distillation processes, which are mostly copper and other copper alloys, the scientist expressed concern that excessive consumption of Akpeteshie could result in cancer development and other adverse health problems such as liver and kidney problems.

They also warned that it could cause liver cancer over time due to the accumulation of harmful metals released into the drink and eaten.

The researchers went on to emphasize the importance of limiting alcohol consumption in general, as it can harm consumers’ cardiovascular systems, increasing the risk of cardiovascular mortality, coronary and peripheral artery disease, heart failure, stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease, particularly in women and sometimes pregnant women.