Diabetes

Malaysia had 1.5 million diabetes sufferers in 2006. By 2011 this number had doubled to 3 million and by 2015 it had reached 3.5 million or around 17.5 % of the adult population.

Causes of this alarming trend are usually attributed to a sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet rich in sugar and fat. Malaysians are the 8th highest sugar consumers in the world, swallowing a shocking 26 teaspoons daily.

Malaysia has one of the highest diabetes rates in southeast Asia but still a long way behind the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru where over 40% of the population are diabetic.

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AUTHOR BIO

cartoon of author with an orangutan

David (the one on the left) is the writer behind Malaysia Traveller, sharing firsthand travel advice from over five decades of travel across Asia and the Middle East. Based in Malaysia since 2009 and now in Kuching, he has published 700+ pages, personally visited every place he covers, and uses only his own photos. Readers can learn more on his About Me page. He also shares updates on Facebook and YouTube. He loves uncovering overlooked places even many Malaysians have never visited.