The Yoruba people of Nigeria are known for giving birth to more twins than anywhere else in the world.
Reports indicate that Yoruba people eat a type of yam and cassava flour that contains an ovarian stimulant that might release more eggs.
However, a Lagos-based gynaecologist dismissed the claims, arguing that the same kind of yam is eaten elsewhere in the world without the same result.
“Thus far, scientifically, no one can say this is the reason. One of the plausible reasons is the hereditary aspect of it because maybe over the years they intermarried and now have that gene pooled and concentrated in that environment,” said Ekujumi Olarenwaju.
A study conducted in the 1970s by a British gynaecologist found that around 50 sets of twins were born out of every 1,000 births, making it the highest rate of twin births in the world.
Further, the twins are usually given specific names depending on whether they were born first or second.
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The set of twins can either be called Taiwo or Kehinde.
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