Orang Asli more prone to diabetes and obesity, says study
The Orang Asli, the indigenous people of the peninsula, are more prone to diabetes and obesity, findings by the National Diabetes Institute (NADI) revealed.
NADI honorary executive chairman Professor Datuk Dr Mustaffa Embong said results obtained from a four-year education and awareness programme between 2011 and 2014 showed that the indigenous people recorded higher prevalence of borderline-raised blood sugar levels or pre-diabetes, which is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
"Those with this condition are also more prone to develop cardiovascular disease.
"A more worrying observation is that Orang Asli have higher prevalence for hypercholestrolaemia or high blood cholesterol levels and obesity compared with the general Malaysian population," he said at a closing ceremony for the NADI-Yayasan Sime Darby on Wheels project today.
The study involved 1,382 individuals from 15 Orang Asli settlements in Selangor, Perak, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Johor, Terengganu and Kelantan. – March 27, 2015.
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