By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
NIGERIAN health advocate and medical doctor, Chinonso Egemba, widely known on social media as Aproko Doctor, has issued a warning about the potential dangers of poorly processed garri, stating it could cause blindness due to toxic elements found in cassava, its primary ingredient.
In a video shared on Monday, Egemba highlighted that garri, which is made from cassava, contains cyanogenic glycosides—specifically linamarin and lotaustralin.
He explained that during the processing of cassava, these compounds may be converted into hydrogen cyanide, a highly toxic substance that can pose serious health risks when consumed in significant amounts.
Aproko Doctor
“This hydrogen cyanide can start to affect certain tissues in your body. And one of the things it can affect is your eye – the optic nerve and the retina.
“There is even research that showed that people who drink Garri more have less visual acuity than people who don’t.
“During proper processing—the fermenting, drying, all the processes involved—the hydrogen cyanide that is dangerous is reduced to the lowest amount possible. So if your Garri is properly processed, it will not lead to blindness,” he stated.
He additionally urged consumers to choose Garri that is well-dried, crispy, and slightly sour, pointing out that any moisture present could be a sign of insufficient fermentation and drying.
He further suggested opting for sealed Garri products that have been approved by NAFDAC as a more reliable and safer choice.
“The most important question you should be asking when it comes to your Garri is: Who processed it? Was it processed properly?” Egemba said, calling on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to intensify checks on Garri in local markets.
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