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Malaysia has great food, but maybe it's too good?

A recent tweet from the Malaysian Ministry of Health revealed that 54.4 per cent, or over half, of all Malaysian adults are either overweight or obese.

Citing statistics from the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey, the ministry said the figure of Malaysian adults who are either overweight or obese had grown, from 50.1 per cent in 2019 to 54.4 per cent in 2023.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 and above is considered overweight, while someone with a BMI of over 30 is considered obese.

The ministry warned that obesity is linked to diseases and conditions, such as hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.

It urged Malaysians to eat healthily, get active and avoid cigarettes and alcohol.

Masyarakat Malaysia semakin gemuk!

1️ daripada 2️ dewasa Malaysia adalah berlebihan berat badan dan obes.

Laporan NHMS 2023 menunjukkan prevalen obesiti dan berat badan berlebihan terus meningkat daripada 50.1% (2019) kepada 54.4% (2023).

Obes dan berlebihan berat badan pic.twitter.com/M6AWNzpfmJ

— KKMalaysia (@KKMPutrajaya) June 2, 2024

Malaysian politicians have tried to encourage their fellow citizens to lose weight.

In 2021, then-Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Malaysia is not a healthy country due to the prevalence of obesity and heart disease.

In 2017, then-Prime Minister Najib Razak encouraged Malaysians to participate in sports and said he himself could stand to lose a little weight.

Neither Khairy nor Najib are currently in government.