Malaysian - Sick & Sicker

Increasing affluence and standard of living may prove to be a double-edged sword as more Malaysians are succumbing to lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart problems, and certain cancers in Malaysia, which before this were more commonly associated with developed countries in the west.

Alarming statistics published in the fourth National Health and Morbidity Survey released in 2011: one-third of Malaysians are obese or overweight. One in three has high cholesterol levels. One in five Malaysians is diabetic.

Four out of 10 Malaysians above 30 years of age have high blood pressure, which is worse than in developed countries. Malaysians in general get heart diseases at 10 years younger, earlier, than our Western counterparts. While coronary artery disease cases in the West have mostly become stagnant, Malaysia is catching up and even overtaking the region in diabetes and obesity.

Malaysia as the fattest country in Southeast Asia, and sixth in Asia only behind some Middle East countries. Obesity in Malaysian children goes in parallel with increasing cases of diabetes, especially those suffering from Type 2. Unlike Type 1 where the body fails to produce insulin from young, Type 2 patients are resistant to insulin and catch it in their adulthood. Type 2 makes up 90 per cent of diabetes cases.

Malaysia has a high percentage of diabetes patients: around 15 to 20 per cent, compared to eight to 10 per cent elsewhere. Five years ago, it was only slightly over eight per cent.

50 years ago, it was more common for Malaysians to get stomach cancer since lack of refrigeration technology caused them to eat more carcinogenic cured, pickled, and salted food.