SHAH ALAM: About 95% of the country's population do not consume vegetables as recommended by the Health Ministry, which is one of the factors leading to fatty liver disease and increased risk for heart and kidney disease.
The findings were based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, which is conducted every four years to gauge the health literacy of the country's population, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali.
He said most people in Malaysia only consumed one vegetable per meal and did not eat vegetables and fruits according to the size of a "quarter quarter half" (that is, to ensure that a quarter of the meal is made of grains like rice, while the other quarter should comprise proteins such as meat and half made up of fruits and vegetables).
"Eating only one type of vegetable is not good for your health. Instead, you need to eat various types of fibre and vegetables in a variety of colours.
"If you do not eat vegetables, you will suffer from a lack of nutrition, while excessive intake of sugar and simple carbohydrates will cause the organic compounds to be embedded in the body as fat.
"This can lead to fatty liver disease, which makes the liver not work well until the system in our body is damaged and causes noncommunicable diseases (NCD) like heart and kidney disease," he told reporters opening the 23rd National Institute of Health Scientific Seminar here on Tuesday (July 19).
Dr Noor Azmi said based on the NHMS 2019, it was found that a ratio of 1:15 of the country's population was obese and those with large abdominal fat with waist circumference (abdominal obesity) were men over 90cm and women 80cm.
"This NCD is like a time bomb if left unchecked. The community is encouraged to participate in the National Health Screening initiative to ensure that they care about their health," he said.
He added that for the next NHMS, the government would introduce a National Health Literacy Policy to enhance the understanding and use of existing health facilities. — Bernama