Energy Drinks Contributed to My Heart Failure, I Used To Take It A Lot — Actor Lanre Afod Opens Up

Nigerian actor, singer, filmmaker, director and producer Lanre Afod has recounted the frightening experience of battling heart failure, revealing that a doctor recommended a private hospital ward when his condition became critical. Afod made the disclosure during an interview on Talk To B, aired on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

The actor, who is the younger brother of veteran Nollywood actor Kunle Afod, also identified excessive consumption of energy drinks and prolonged periods of staying awake while editing videos as factors he believes contributed to his illness.

Recalling his hospital experience, Afod said a doctor expressed concern about his condition and advised that he should be moved to a private ward, despite the additional financial burden. “One doctor just came and said, ‘This guy is not going to get okay. You need to move him to a private ward. I don’t know, it is expensive, but you need a private ward,’” he recounted.

According to the actor, the private ward had air conditioning and other facilities that made his stay more comfortable during the difficult period. “There was AC, there was everything. Just look at it as if you’ve travelled abroad or just travelled abroad. And it’s not easy to quickly get everything that you need now, but just be in a private ward,” he said.

Afod also recalled being advised to be careful about the television programmes he watched while receiving treatment. “At a point, they said the TV that was in the ward for me, they said, ‘Ah, please, just watch. You can’t watch African Magic because they’ll be doing people will die.’ You can’t watch it,” he said.

The actor subsequently explained that he wanted to share his personal understanding of the circumstances surrounding his illness. “So now I can tell you that I will tell you the things that contributed to it from my own angle. I will not say, because I’m not a doctor, so I’ll not say this is perfectly the reason for having a cardiac issue, heart failure,” Afod explained.

However, he identified excessive consumption of energy drinks as one factor he believes contributed to his health problems. “But I can tell you very, very well that certain things, if you’re doing them. Like the case of the energy drink, it contributed to my own illness. I used to take it a lot. I was taking it excessively,” he said.

Afod explained that learning to edit videos required him to remain awake for extended periods, especially when inspiration did not come during the day. “Once I get tired, you know, I started learning how to edit. So, editing requires you staying awake. During the daytime, if you want to edit, sometimes inspiration will not come, but at night, that night, sleep wants to come,” he recounted.

The actor also raised concerns about the potential strain associated with maintaining a sedentary lifestyle while working for long hours. “Now, the work, the job that you’re doing, you’re seated. If you’re going to be doing that, you need to be running to be at par with the way that thing is working,” Afod said.