A new study has found that females in the Volta Region consume more Akpeteshie, a locally brewed alcoholic beverage beyond recommended limit.
The study which was conducted jointly by the University of Allied Health Sciences and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) revealed that 66.67 % of females abuse the strong alcoholic drink. The scientists set out to find consumption patterns of the popular beverage in the region.
It was led by Elvis Nutifafa Agbley Dr Fidelis Kpodo and Dr Nii Korley Kortei at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Allied Health Sciences and published in the 2023 edition of the Journal, Scientific African.
Although the study found high Akpeteshie consumption levels among males, it detected more abuse of the beverage among females.
“There is the need to intensify regulatory and health promotion efforts,” Dr Fidelis Kpodo and Dr Nii Korley Kortei are quoted to have recommended following the discovery.
Aside from the high consumption, the study also examined the content of ethanol and contaminants such as methanol, lead, copper and iron in samples of Akpeteshie.
No fewer than one hundred and forty alcohol consumers were recruited for the study, and methanol and lead were not detected in the samples. However, copper and iron beyond permissible levels were detected, calling for concern although it was not established that those metals have had hazardous health effects on consumers of Akpeteshie.
The scientist expressed fear that excessive consumption of Akpeteshie could result in cancer development and other adverse health problems such as liver and kidney problems due to the material constitution of the pipes used for the distillation processes which are mostly copper and other copper alloys. They further warned that it could lead to liver cancer over time as a result of the accumulation of the toxic metals that are released into the drink and consumed.
The scientists went on further to emphasise the need to check alcohol consumption in general, as its abuse may be harmful to consumers’ cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of cardiovascular mortality, coronary and peripheral artery disease, heart failure, stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart diseases, especially for women and sometimes pregnant women.
