Malaysians have a passionate love affair with their
lip-smacking cuisine – rich curries, succulent fried chicken, buttery breads
and creamy drinks – but it is increasingly an unhealthy relationship.
Malaysia is Southeast Asia's fattest country, where a
nationwide foodie culture is feeding mounting concern over what its health
minister calls "an obesity epidemic."
"We are the most obese nation in Southeast Asia, and
Malaysians are becoming more obese," Health Minister Datuk Seri S.
Subramaniam told AFP, warning of a "crisis in unhealthy behaviour."
Nearly 45% of Malaysian men and almost half of women are
overweight or obese, according to a 2013 study by UK medical journal Lancet,
compared to global rates of around 30%.
A recent report by consultants McKinsey Global Institution
found obesity now costs the global economy US$2 trillion (RM6.7 trillion) in
healthcare and lost productivity, or 2.8% of global GDP, just US$100 billion
(RM334 billion) less than both smoking and armed conflict. The study warned almost half of the world's adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030 and called for a "coordinated response" from governments, retailers and food and drink manufacturers.
In Malaysia, childhood obesity rates also are climbing, from
less than 10% a decade ago to nearly 14% in 2008, according to the most recent
figures, saddling health systems with a new generation of diabetes,
hypertension and other obesity-related illnesses
Already, some 2.6 million adults have diabetes, a figure
authorities expect to spike to 4.5 million in 2020. Malaysia has a population
of around 29 million.
Source: The Malaysian Insider...More...
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