Association: Rise in type 2 diabetes cases alarming

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KLANG: There has been an increase in type 2 diabetes cases and this is seen as a huge problem globally, particularly in Malaysia, said Malaysian Diabetes Association’s Selangor branch chairman, Datin Paduka Dr Santha Kumari.

She said this was because type 2 diabetes cases were related to obesity, and Malaysia led in the prevalence of obesity in Southeast Asian countries.

“It (type 2 diabetes) does not only affect old people, but also the young and at an alarming level,” Dr Santha Kumari told a press conference, here, yesterday.

“Obesity leads to insulin resistance, and thus the pancreas gets exhausted, resulting in less insulin production for the body,” she said.

According to statistics, 30 per cent of Malaysians are overweight, while another 30 per cent are classified as obese, thus placing Malaysians at a high risk.

A recent study showed that 22 per cent of Malaysians above the age of 30 were diabetic patients.

Dr Santha Kumari said the associaton would be organising a gala charity dinner with a performance by “The Carpenters from Kempsey, Australia” at a hotel here this Friday.

It is to raise funds for the association’s community centre which offers free counselling and screening on a daily basis.

The centre also organises talks, aerobic sessions and medical camps for diabetic patients living in Selangor. — Bernama