KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 -- Health professionals are warning of the rise in sugar-related diseases in Malaysia, amidst a growing obesity epidemic in the country.

Citing a recent study, Dr Kayatri Govindaraju, Head of Department of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, said the obesity rate in Malaysia is at 50.1 per cent.

"We're witnessing a clear rise in obesity. A recent study by Chong et al., 2023, highlighted the prevalence of overweight among Malaysian adults stands at 50.1 per cent. We rank among the highest in Asean countries in this regard. As obesity is strongly linked to various metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, it's no surprise that diabetes rates are also increasing," she tol...