Malaysia Has The Highest Rate Of Diabetes in Asia & Half Of M’sians Don’t Even Know They’re Diabetic

Let’s be real, Malaysia doesn’t really have the healthiest food. Honestly, yum cha sessions at the mamak are a cheap way to hang out and catch up with friends, but that lifestyle definitely wreaks havoc on your body over time!

One of the biggest health-related issues our nation is faced with as a result of our not-so-healthy habits is lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes in particular.

Source: malay mail

According to Free Malaysia Today, National Diabetes Institute (Nadi) executive chairman Dr Mustaffa Embong recently revealed that Malaysia currently has the highest rate of diabetes in Asia, making us also among the highest in the world, next to Saudi Arabia. Yikes!

Speaking to reporters at the 10th Diabetes Complications Conference and Grand Rounds (DCOM 2018), Dr Mustaffa stated,

“According to Nadi records, statistics suggest that almost half of Malaysians do not know that they have diabetes.”

“Most of the time, those with Type 2 diabetes do not have any symptoms at all until they develop a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, go blind or have to get amputations.”

Source: the star

He added that since diabetes doesn’t really have symptoms, it often goes undetected by sufferers, and is deemed as a silent killer. Dr Mustaffa continued,

“Thus, with this conference, various topics on medical aspects and new treatments for people with diabetes will be presented to address the problem.”

According to recent statistics from the World Health Organisation, as of 2016, a total of 4,710 Malaysians (2,380 between 30 and 69 years old, 2,330 ages 70 and up) experienced diabetes-related deaths, while 13,150 Malaysians (6,490 between 30 and 69 years old, 6,660 ages 70 and up) experienced deaths attributable to high levels of blood glucose.

Source: world health organisation

On top of that, the overall prevalence of diabetes in the country has been continually increasing at an alarming rate for both men and women.

Well, as Malaysians, we should take these recent statistics as a warning. Let’s not take our bodies for granted and engage in a more healthy lifestyle, guys!

Also read: Malaysian’s Unhealthy Lifestyle Makes Us Almost No. 1 For Diabetes-Related Kidney Failure Cases