Malaysia Urged To Lead ASEAN's Fight Against NCDs With Lifestyle Medicine – MSLM

By V. Sankara

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (MSLM) has called on Malaysia to take the lead in championing Lifestyle Medicine as a core regional strategy under ASEAN’s health cooperation agenda to tackle the growing crisis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

MSLM Founding President Dr Siva Poobalasingam said Malaysia is uniquely positioned to spearhead this movement as the current ASEAN Chair and a recognised global advocate for Lifestyle Medicine.

“In my capacity as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance, I believe Malaysia must take a leadership role in integrating Lifestyle Medicine across ASEAN — particularly when NCDs account for approximately 62 per cent of deaths in the region,” he told Bernama.

Dr Siva Poobalasingam added that NCDs such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity are placing unsustainable pressure on healthcare systems across Southeast Asia.

In Malaysia alone, NCDs are linked to more than 73 per cent of deaths and cost the nation an estimated RM64.2 billion annually in healthcare and in productivity losses.

“High sugar and fat consumption, sedentary lifestyles and smoking are common across ASEAN countries. Lifestyle Medicine offers a culturally adaptable and cost-effective solution that addresses the root causes of these diseases,” he said.

Lifestyle Medicine is an evidence-based medical discipline that focuses on preventing, managing, and potentially reversing chronic diseases by replacing unhealthy behavior patterns with positive behavior patterns through six core pillars: a predominantly plant-based diet, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of harmful substances, and positive social connections.

Dr Siva said Malaysia has already gained global recognition for its commitment to Lifestyle Medicine, citing his presentation of the Lifestyle Medicine For Remission Of Diabetes model at the 2023 C20 Integrative Health Summit in Faridabad, India — the official civil society engagement forum under the G20.

“Our model, which integrates sustainable lifestyle medicine intervention strategies, was one of the few from the region recognised at C20. This is an opportunity for Malaysia to take the lead in formalising a regional Lifestyle Medicine framework under ASEAN,” he said.

He also shared insights from a completed World Health Organisation (WHO) pilot initiative — the Lifestyle Medicine for Remission of Diabetes (LMRD) project — which was implemented at a public primary care facility in Negeri Sembilan in collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH).

“The WHO-MOH pilot project was probably the first globally. We were not only implementing the intervention, but also developing the curriculum, training healthcare providers, collecting outcomes data and shaping policy directions,” said Dr Siva Poobalasingam, who served as the WHO-appointed Lifestyle Medicine Expert Consultant for the WHO-MOH Lifestyle Medicine For Remission Of Diabetes project.

“We are also proposing the establishment of an ASEAN Centre for Lifestyle Medicine in Malaysia, aimed at strengthening regional capacity, supporting policy development and mainstreaming Lifestyle Medicine into national health strategies,” he said.

Dr Siva was also invited to represent Malaysia at the National Forum on Lifestyle Medicine at the Romanian Senate (Palace of the Parliament) in Bucharest in May this year, where he presented on implementing Lifestyle Medicine in public primary healthcare.

To further advance the field of Lifestyle Medicine, the 5th Malaysian Lifestyle Medicine Conference will take place from Oct 27 to 29 at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Themed “Reimagining Mental Health with Lifestyle Medicine”, the conference will bring together ASEAN and global thought leaders to explore the role of Lifestyle Medicine in addressing mental wellbeing.

-- BERNAMA