Do you know Malaysia is Southeast Asia's fattest country? What defined as 'Obesity'?

Do you know Malaysia is Southeast Asia's fattest country?

"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."

In 2013 study by UK medical journal Lancet, nearly 45% of Malaysian men and almost half of women are overweight or obese compared to global rates of around 30%.

What is Obesity?

The word ‘obesity’ is to describe having too much body fat. It is different with ‘overweight’ which means weighing too much. The weight can be from muscle, bone, fat or water. Both ‘obesity’ and ‘overweight’ are defined as weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height.

The most commonly way used to measure weight is body mass index (BMI).

BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. It can be used as a screening tool of body fatness but not for diagnostic purpose.

What consider as a healthy BMI?

If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range.
If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the normal or healthy weight range.
If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range.
If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.

Being obese puts you at risk for many health problems especially Coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes or other disorders. The more body fat you have, the more you weigh and the more likely you are at high risk of getting those health problems.

Study shows that obese people who lost just 5 % of their body weight lead to substantial improvements in health through better control of insulin in the liver, fat and muscle tissues. It lowers the risk of having diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University in St Louis, said that “It’s important to distinguish what benefits you get from 5% versus 10%, because losing 10% of your bodyweight is so much harder,” Klein said. “We were surprised to see really profound benefits in multiple organ systems simultaneously with only a small change in body weight. The biggest bang for your buck is with 5% weight loss.”

Tracy Parker, a heart health dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, added: “This study is good news for people who struggle with their weight as it suggests that even losing a small amount of weight can have a positive impact on heart health.”

This study is a reminder of the benefits of gradually getting to a healthy weight. Setting realistic goals such as 5% weight loss is a good way to maintain healthy weight loss.

However, it is not enough if you wish to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by managing your body weight well. Lifestyle modification, esp. give up smoking, decrease alcohol intake and being more physically active are also needed.