Every year, there are reports of high obesity rates among Malaysians, no thanks to our delicious food and lack of exercise.
As of 2023, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (2023) showed that there has been a surge in the number of overweight and obese Malaysians in the past decade. It’s safe to say the rate didn’t go down a year later.
The survey showed that the number surged by nearly 10% over a decade from 44.5% in 2011 to 54.4% in 2023.
In addition, abdominal obesity among adult Malaysians saw a rise of nearly 10% from 45.4% in 2011 to 54.5% in 2023.
Is there a solution to our rising health problem?
Code Blue reported that Malaysia has one of the lowest controlled sugar prices in the world. As it turned out, it’s lower than those in sugar-producing countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, where we get our raw sugar.
Cheap sugar drives the increased sugar intake among Malaysians and the increased need for billions in funds to treat the health issues caused by excess sugar consumption.
Recently, there have been talks to increase excise duties on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and removing sugar from the controlled items list.
These are some solutions presented by the health think tank, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, to combat excess sugar consumption by Malaysians.
This is because consuming excess sugar can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation, diabetes, fatty liver, and more. Malaysia has the highest rate of diabetes in the Asia Pacific.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad recently highlighted in the Dewan Negara that sugar consumption remains a health issue when addressing the obesity crisis in the country.
He proposed raising the SSB tax to 20%, as recommended by the World Health Organisation. Meanwhile, the SSB tax at the current rate is expected to bring in at least RM330 million in revenue.
According to Code Blue, the increase in tax rate will bring in much-needed funds to help address metabolic diseases, which include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease. For comparison, it takes around RM3.1 billion annually to treat diabetes-related complications.
However, for the SSB tax implementation to be successful, Galen Centre CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said sugar must be removed from the schedule of controlled items under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
Currently, sugar is a controlled item with prices capped at RM2.85 per kg for coarse sugar and RM2.95 per kg for refined sugar.
In July 2019, the government imposed a 40-sen per litre excise duty on sweetened beverages containing more than 5g of sugar or any sugar-based sweetener per 100ml.
Azrul said the government’s sugar subsidies and taxes on sugar counteract each other’s effectiveness. In short, it doesn’t make sense to lower the price of sugar via subsidies and then slap a higher SSB tax on it.
In addition, Azrul shared that the government had been “forced” to provide payments amounting to RM1 per kg of sugar to sugar manufacturers. The total cost is around RM500 million to RM600 million in subsidies yearly.
These subsidies wipe out any current or potential revenue gained from the increase in SSB taxes.
Galen Centre CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib
What can we do for the time being to improve our health?
The good news is we can take charge of our health instead of waiting for the sugar prices to change to force us to change.
It’s hard to change bad habits but it can be done slowly but surely with some discipline.
Aside from reducing sugar intake, it’s good to switch to healthier sweetener alternatives such as raw honey and stevia. Similarly to taking medicine, the dose makes the poison so it’s important to watch our intake.
White rice has a high glycemic index which means the carbohydrates in rice convert more quickly into blood sugar. This doesn’t mean we have to stop eating rice.
Rice can be healthy but it’s good to have it in moderation. It’s also important to pair rice with more proteins and vegetables.
It’s important to move our body or exercise daily whether we like it or not. Start with simple activities and doing exercises that you like such as dance or playing games like Ring Fit Adventure.
As always, it’s advisable to consult your doctor before making any big or drastic lifestyle changes. Just in case you’re doing too much too soon.
