Diabetes On The Rise

Malaysia has the highest number of diabetics in Asean with an estimated 3.6 million adults affected by the condition, said the country's Obesity Prevention Council, calling this statistic "alarming".

The number also puts Malaysia in sixth place in the western pacific region, said council president Jong Koi Chong at the fourth national diabetes conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

More than 15 per cent of the adult population was diabetic, according to the latest study in 2011,
almost double the rate of 8.6 percent in 2006, he said.

"That is not an achievement to be proud of and we must all work together and help educate the public on the importance of prevention and maintenance of the disease," he said