Malaysia: Less Meat Against Chronic Diseases

People in Malaysia are being urgently urged to reduce their meat consumption in order to lower the risk of serious diseases.

These include cancer, heart disease and chronic kidney disease.

This advice comes from Dr. Shashikala Sivapathy, a lecturer in nutrition and wellness at University College Sedaya International. She is a member of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and made this known after analysing data from the statistics department. The figures appeared to indicate a link between meat-heavy diets and non-communicable diseases.

Sivapathy explained that people in Malaysia generally have poor diets and tend towards a sedentary lifestyle. This makes them more susceptible to chronic diseases.

«The typical Malaysian diet consists of a higher caloric intake due to our local dishes, which contain ingredients (with a high fat content) such as coconut milk, ghee and animal fat», Sivapathy said in a statement. «However, Malaysians generally do not lead an active lifestyle. This results in excess calories being converted into accumulated fat, leading to obesity».

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Sivapathy points out that in 2011 guidelines for school canteens were established. These were later revised in 2016 but are not always consistently enforced.

To address the problem, Sivapathy recommends that processed foods (often containing meat) be replaced with whole food ingredients. She specifically refers to swapping burgers and nuggets for grain-based dishes with fresh produce.

She acknowledges that this will be a challenge, as children «generally do not like vegetables». However, she insists that creative cooking will remove the stumbling block to better health in the future.

The President of the Malaysian Society of Nephrology, Dr. Lily Mushahar, supports Sivapathy's position and links lower consumption of red meat to better kidney health.

«Animal protein contains proteins with high biological value that can strain the kidneys when consumed in excess, contributing to chronic kidney disease», said Mushahar in a statement.

«It is advisable to consume only red meat the size of a matchbox, as red meat causes elevated uremic toxins in the blood and can increase the risk of heart disease.»

Several studies have identified a link between meat consumption and cancer risk. It is also believed that chronic diseases – including diabetes – are more likely in people who follow a meat-heavy diet.

Projections indicate that the cancer rate in Malaysia will double by 2040, with one in ten people receiving a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. In 2020, nearly 50,000 new cases were reported. Equally relevant is the fact that the leading cause of death in Malaysia in the same year was heart disease.