30/08/2025
Malaysia has long been labelled the “fattest nation” in Asia.
https://mysinchew.sinchew.com.my/news/20250829/mysinchew/6819895
The share of overweight and obese adults rose from 44.5% in 2011 to 54.4% in 2023—an almost 10% jump in a decade. The 2023 National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) recorded a similar figure, with 53.5% of Malaysians screened overweight or obese. The crisis is not confined to adults: Chua et al. (2024) found that childhood overweight and obesity doubled over 26 years, while Malaysia now has the second-highest child obesity rate in ASEAN, with 7.1% of children under five overweight.
The 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) showed that 95.1% of Malaysian adults eat too little fruit and vegetables, while 84% are inactive in sports, leisure, or fitness— patterns reinforced by Malaysia’s car-centric culture, where the lack of sidewalks, crossings, and bike lanes discourages walking, cycling, and public transport.
Ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have become cheaper, more convenient, and heavily marketed, keeping consumption high despite stagnant incomes and rising living costs. Sugar intake remains dangerously high. Cheng et al. (2025) observed that 53.6% of surveyed Malaysians consume SSBs daily. Among university students, the average daily sugar intake is 12 teaspoons—double the WHO’s recommended six (WHO, 2015). At the same time, the 2023 BMJ umbrella review of more than 8,000 studies found high sugar intake linked to 83 harmful health outcomes, most reliably body weight gain, childhood obesity, coronary heart disease, ectopic fat, and depression. Notably, it empirically derived that SSB intake should be limited to less than one serving per week — far below Malaysia’s daily habits.
Malaysia has long been labeled the “fattest nation” in Asia.The share of overweight and obese adults rose from 44.5 percent in 2011 to 54.4 percent in 2023—an almost 10 percent jump in a decade.The 2023 National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI) r...
