Page 23 - Malaysian Dietary Supplement Industry Status and Outlook Report 2019-2020 Preview

Malaysia has struggled with aspects of Figure 1.2: Malaysia Nutrient Consumption
malnutrition for years. With the Benchmarks against Global and Asian
gradual but unyielding forces of global Averages, 2018.

megatrends, the nutritional landscape Source: Eigis Analysis (Base Data: Global
is at risk of worsening and all signs Nutrition Report 2018).
seem to be pointing to it.

The discourse on malnutrition in Malaysia has been ongoing
for many years, most popularly with respect to overweight
and obesity in adults. In fact, it is widely acknowledged that
Malaysia is one of the most overweight and obese countries
(if not the most) in South East Asia and Asia.

However, malnutrition in Malaysia is not limited to obesity.
Findings from the GNR18 indicate that Malaysia presently
suffers at least a triple-burden in malnutrition, namely
obesity/overweight in adults, stunting/wasting in children
under-5, and anaemia (in adult women)—the only South East
Asian nation with a triple malnutrition burden. From this
perspective, Malaysia is more similar to African countries
than it is to developed countries in this respect, despite
being more advanced socioeconomically.

Malaysians are not eating well in general. Like the rest of
the world, Malaysians are not consuming enough sources of
key nutrients that serve to lower morbidity risks; even so,
Malaysians are consuming less in most of these food
categories compared to the global and Asian averages,
which is the cause for concern.

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