Increased risk of diabetes among Orang Asli

KUALA LUMPUR: Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia have a higher risk of developing heart diseases and diabetes due to change in diet and habitat, a four-year study by the National Diabetes Institute (Nadi) showed.
The study found that 2.8% of the 1,382 Orang Asli surveyed from 2011 to 2014 in Selangor, Perak, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Terengganu, and Kelantan have diabetes while 12.8% have hypertension.
Nadi executive chairman Datuk Dr. Mustaffa Embong said while this is still much lower than the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 (NHMS) average of 15.2% for diabetes and 32.7% for hypertension respectively, the survey also showed a higher rate of pre-diabetes.
Mustaffa explained that pre-diabetes is where the blood sugar has been raised to borderline diabetic level and is a precursor to diabetes, a disease that affects an estimated 3.6 million Malaysians.
"The prevalence of pre-diabetes is higher than that reported by NHMS 2011; those with this condition are also more prone to develop cardiovascular diseases.
"A more worrying observation is the higher prevalence of high blood cholesterol levels at 37.2% and obesity at 21.7% among the Orang Asli community," he told a press conference after the closing ceremony of the Nadi Yayasan Sime Darby On-Wheels programme by Nadi at Hotel Istana today.
Mustaffa said Orang Asli communities have been steadily moving closer to towns and cities and this, in addition to increased ownership of personal transportation, gives them much easier access to processed food than ever before.
Processed food is high in carbohydrate and calories, and Mustaffa said the Orang Asli's misconception that fast food or western-type processed food is a sign of wealth is a contributing factor.
He said smoking and drinking habits among the community had only further aggravated the problem and nothing short of a continuous and holistic education programme can turn things around.
"We need to educate the Orang Asli on healthy eating, they used to be able to eat unprocessed food and get lots of exercise when they still lived in the jungles.
"This can only be addressed by promoting a healthy lifestyle, and it would be even better if a local representative can be appointed to do this because he or she can speak their language and know their culture," Mustaffa said.