‘Chilled water does not affect heart’

Vodafone Ghana’s Healthline Radio show continues to generate debate on many widely held health myths in our society. 

This week on Adom FM in Accra, Dr. Derkyi-Kwarteng, a lecturer at the Ghana Medical School, was asked by listeners of the show whether there was any truth in the belief that drinking cold water has an effect on the heart.

“It certainly may have an effect on other parts of an individual but it has not been medically proven to have an effect on the heart,” he answered.

For over two months Vodafone’s Healthline Radio show has been challenging many of our health practices and beliefs on common issues.

This week’s show on the heart revealed that many people believed that eating the heart or brain of animals will lead to heart disease or affect the mental health of the person consuming the organ.

Dr. Derkyi explained that as long as the animal does not carry an infectious disease, it is perfectly safe to consume the heart and brain of animals.

An added feature of Healthline Radio is the opportunity to win up to GH¢120 worth of credit through the Vodafone quick fingers round.  Many Vodafone customers who have managed to be the first to load the voucher numbers read out by the host of the show have enjoyed a minimum of GHC 20 credit while listening to the show.

Isaac Kusi-Mensah, a regular listener of both the Akan and English version of the show on Adom and Citi FM has attested to winning large amounts of credit in the quick fingers round, he commented that ‘you have to be really quick though’.

On why he tunes in to the show he revealed that it gives him the opportunity to ask questions about his health that he feels he cannot ask his doctor.  He also says that it is a convenient channel to have health questions answered.

He’s a regular caller on both shows and last week called in to Adom FM to find out if too much salt in his diet was bad for his heart.

Dr. Derkyi confirmed that too much salt in our diet can cause heart problems such as hypertension a leading killer disease in Ghana.

Listeners who are not quick as quick as Isaac in the quick fingers competition can also take part in the health trivia by texting ‘Start’ to shortcode 445 for a change to win GH¢50 every week.

Dr. Derkyi offered hope to his listeners by confirming that regular exercise such as sports and sex can go a long way in preventing heart related diseases.

He also advised that people go for regular checkups at the hospital.

Vodafone’s Healthline radio airs on Adom FM every Wednesday at 3 P.M., and on Citi FM on Saturdays at 11am.