Pushing for healthier lifestyle

Star: Stressful jobs, fast food and lack of exercise have resulted in the increase of cases of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease among Malaysians. FOONG PEK YEE outlines what the Health Ministry has to say about the deadly trend.

William, a senior executive, takes nine tablets plus two multi-vitamin supplements a day, literally to stay alive.
He is a diabetic, and had a heart attack four years ago, when he was 40.
“I know what a healthy lifestyle is, and I know I fail all but one of the five criteria,” said William.
Confessing that he drinks once in a while, the 5ft 6in executive weighs in at 79kg. He works 15 hours a day, smokes and literally gulps down his lunch and dinner at cafes.
“Either I quit my job or die in my job” he said in response to teasing that he was a walking time bomb.
Has William learnt from his heart attack?
He related that while waiting at the general practitioner's clinic for a letter for admission to do his angioplasty, he lit up a cigarette and told himself that it would be his last one.
He was so weak then that he was not even able to take a single puff.
But that was it.
Five months later, he was smoking again, with the excuse that it could relieve stress.
Asked why he went back to smoking knowing that there were over 2,000 types of poisons and toxins inside a cigarette, his answer was: “Either I die from stress or I die from smoking.”

William is not alone. Most Malaysians are aware of what a healthy lifestyle is all about, and yet are not prepared to make the necessary adjustments.
Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said there is awareness on a healthy lifestyle but the biggest hurdle is, how do we get Malaysians to adopt it and sustain it?
For example, many Malaysians start to exercise and then find excuses not to carry on.
Lee said a ministry survey had shown that 32% of Malaysians had exercised before but somehow stopped.
“Putting on sports attire, shoes, beating the traffic jam and fighting for parking space before you step into the gym can be very stressful,” he quipped.
He said while some people prefer the gym, there are also alternatives.
Lee, who loves to walk and hike, suggests using the stairs instead of the lift and parking a bit further away.
Adequate exercise means at least a 20-minute session three times a week. According to Lee, only 14% of Malaysians have adequate exercise.
Besides fighting tobacco companies, the ministry also has to deal with beauty salons and people who sell supplements or so-called health food which promise an easier way to beauty and health.
People fall for these services that offer them a perfect body and fast-track slimming without being aware of the consequences.
Resorting to drugs or extreme dieting could damage the liver and kidney, he warned.
“Please consult your doctor on your needs, including health food,” Lee said, adding that not all drugs or supplements are suitable for all people at all times.
On the 25% of Malaysians above 18 who smoke (numbering close to 4 million), Lee said 95% of them were aware of the dangers of smoking.
Our children, because of the changing lifestyle, also take too much fast food and do not have as much physical exercise as before.
There is an alarming rise in the number of obese children and adults in the country, and the trend is pervading other fast developing countries in Asia as well.
Culturally, Lee feels that the traditional 10-course Chinese dinner should also be reduced to six courses, if not less, to curb over-eating or food wastage. But he feels this is not something that can be easily overcome.
People are having their dinner late because of their hectic lifestyles, and this is compounded by the fact that supper is also becoming a Malaysian habit. They go to bed soon after that, and this is not very good for the digestive system.
The end result of failing to adopt a healthy lifestyle is the following statistic: 25% Malaysians are overweight or obese, between 20% and 30% have hypertension, and 8.5% Malaysians have diabetes.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek described the combination of lifestyle-related diseases as equivalent to a “death sentence” in medical terms.
But there is still hope of a “pardon” and a new lease of life as many Malaysians still subscribe to the saying “Better late, than never”.