Change For The Sake Of Health (Part 1) (Bernama)

The following article from Bernama on health matter (Part 1) is recommended for our people in Malaysia; and should be circulated for enhancing knowledge in molding a healthy nation.

Reprinted from Bernama / January 04, 2010 15:13 PM

Change For The Sake Of Health

By Melati Mohd Ariff

This is the first of the two part article on consumerism

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- "Change your ways!" This is the mantra for consumers in 2010.

Without the change in attitude, efforts and campaign undertaken by the government or non-governmental organisations (NGO) to educate consumers serves no purpose.

Moreover, consumers will only end up wasting their money and put their lives in jeopardy.

In changing consumer attitude, it is wise to reflect on some of the campaigns including the "Tak Nak" campaign to eradicate smoking and the move by the government to increase the retail price of sugar.

The campaign on smokers is to remind them constantly that smoking not only wastes money but also endangers their health and the health of those around them.

PRICE HIKE FOR THE BENEFIT OF CONSUMERS

Therefore, smokers in the nation should view positively the government's decision to set a minimum price of RM6.40 for a 20-stick cigarette pack effective January 1, 2010.

Malaysians may well be aware of the gory images on the effects of smoking flashed on billboards, posters and the cigarette packs.

Since the launch of the campaign in 2009, Malaysians have been exposed to the dangers of smoking and the danger caused by secondhand smoke.

Smokers should also be aware of the dangerous content in the cigarette itself. The cigarette is said to contain about 4,000 elements with at least 200 of them hazardous to human health.

The dangerous components in cigarettes are tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. The three impair the lungs and blood circulation!

In fact the World Health Organisation (WHO) had clearly stated the dangers of smoking through its bulletin, World Health, and the bulletin is incorporated at the Health Ministry's website.

The bulletin states that the nicotine found in tobacco unleashes chemical reaction similar to heroin and cocaine.

SMOKING KILLS

The ministry's website also states that smoking can kill up to 1 billion people in the 21st century.

It is estimated that there are about 1.15 billion smokers all over the world with more than 80 per cent of them living in nations with low and medium income.

The website also quoted WHO as saying that tobacco is among the leading cause of deaths worldwide.

WHO estimated that approximately 100 million people will die due to complications caused by tobacco in the 20th century.

THE MALAYSIAN SCENE

Back in Malaysia, smokers represent almost half of the male population and each day about 45 to 50 teenagers under 18 pick up the habit.

About 30 per cent of the boys between 12 and 18 years smoke and the number of teenage girls picking up the habit has increased.

According to the ministry, health problems related to smoking including lung cancer has increased by 17 percent.

The same destructive habit has contributed to one million coronary cases.

Speak to any cardiologist, among the healthy lifestyle that they would suggest is to keep away from cigarettes.

Apart from high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure, smoking too contributes to heart problem.

AVOID SWEET TOOTH

Like cigarettes, sugar too has negative implications to health but again many Malaysian consumers remain indifferent in their consumption.

Each time sugar shortage happens, often because traders hoard the commodity to push up the prices on the pretext of a shortage, consumers rush to retail outlets and supermarkets to buy sugar more than they need.

This in reality benefits the traders but consumers remain oblivious to the dangers of excessive sugar consumption to their health especially in their golden years.

When the government announced a 20 sen increase in the price of sugar, the same consumer attitude was seen at business premises.

Consumers were seen filling the shopping carts with sugar with some newspapers flashing pictures of empty sugar racks. There were instances where unscrupulous traders took advantage of the run for sugar by hiking the price to RM1.70 per kilogram.

As usual most consumers lamented that the rise in price will make life difficult for them but fail to realise that it is better to be more prudent in using sugar.

This state of mind prevailing among consumers has defeated the campaigns by the governments and NGOs to push consumers to reduce sugar intake.

The Consumer's Association of Penang (CAP) that has been advocating the well-being of consumers came up with a handbook 'Sugar Dangerous for Health'.

Those who have taken the trouble to read the handbook will think twice in consuming sweet delicacies or in adding sugar to their drinks.

SICK BECAUSE OF SUGAR

According to CAP, chemically sugar is equivalent to alcohol and the chemical reaction is similar to the one caused by heroin. It is addictive as well.

Malaysians are reported to consume 26 teaspoons of sugar daily compared with recommended intake of seven teaspoon! The record held by Malaysians even surpasses world daily average sugar intake of 11 teaspoons daily.

As for those hooked to canned sweet or carbonated drinks, think again as each can contains between seven and eight teaspoons of sugar.

According to CAP, the white substance that we call as sugar is actually "man made poison" and other than its sweetness there is no nutritional value.

As for those who could not do away with sugar, now think again as sugar is linked with 60 types of diseases including cancer, asthma, allergy, diabetes, coronary disease, biliary stone, problems relating to the immune system, kidney disease and poor mental health.

Also do note that the 2009 statistics revealed 17 per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million suffer from diabetes. Diabetes can lead to other complications like lost of sight, coronary disease, renal failure and stroke!

The 2006 data pointed out that 21 per cent of Malaysians are overweight and 6.2 per cent suffer from obesity.

Thus, change into a discerning consumer and choose wisely what is the best for you and your family.

-- BERNAMA

Why Must People Support the sugar price hike?

'Sugar is harmful to your health'; as every ones in the health business, especially the Health Ministry,been telling people to use less sugar in their daily food consumption, how many people take heed? It's very unfortunate that people in this country consume much higher than the norm or recommended dosage of sugar a day - Malaysian consume twenty six (26) teaspoons of sugar a day compared to the recommended seven(7) teaspoons; and it's almost four (4) times more than recommended!

Excessive consumption of sugar is the main cause of obesity which is the 'mother of all diseases' like high blood pressure, diabetes, renal kidney failure, and others. Bearing in mind that the highest common killer in Malaysian death is heart attack which has close linkage to the food and living life style. And, it's becoming a worrying state as the patients become younger!

The importance of the sugar matter is critically obvious.

The move by Datuk Rosnah to persuade the food and beverage industry to work together to reduce sugar consumption has two advantages: one is for the benefit of the people, and the other advantage is to reduce the sugar subsidy our country has to bear which is in the tune of almost RM1Billion a year! On top of that, we ought to take into account the expenditures or costs to provide the medical services that are required to take care of those patients caused directly or indirectly by the 'sugar' related diseases.

In order to see result of the efforts, the Health ministry must work closely with the Education Ministry in this campaign to reduce the sugar maniac in the society. It has to start young and people must be aware of the harms caused by abusive consumption of sugar ignorantly.

Of course, the effects of the price hike must be carefully monitored as the news clip attached already indicates the 'woes' or fears that the society will have to face.

Government must find a long term ways to increase the income of the people in order to resolve 'permanently' the social /cum welfare problems inflicted by the changes in the government partial withdrawal of sugar subsidy.

Sugar Subsidy Removal Must Be Supported Without Reservation

政府取消补贴白糖料涨价70%
Asia Times Sabah 2009-12-04 13:12:55
http://www.asiatimes.com.my/news.php?newsid=26233


（吉隆坡2日讯）政府一旦取消对白糖的津贴后，预料本地白糖价格将调高约70％。


业者认为，若白糖价格届时确实调高，他们也是贵来贵卖，无理由吸纳成本，做亏本生意，因此，若将会引发通胀并不稀奇。


马来西亚业粮批发商公会会长吴子联相信，若政府不再津贴白糖，市面上的白糖将起价约70％，或者每公斤白糖零售价不会低于2令吉。


他说，白糖的供应不是问题，只是价格的问题而已，需知目前国际白糖价格高企，如果没有政府的津贴，本地糖价不可能这么低。
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Sugar is bad for health, and is considered as one of the main culprits of all diseases such as diabetes, heart problem, kidney failures etc.

Less sugar intake means better health, and is a blessing in disguise if it costs more to consume it.

People should take this opportunity to cut down on the sugar usage, and save living costs as well as improving health.

Better health also means less individual production loss, and less expenses on medical cares from the government and private individual. Government has been subsidizing both the sugar and the medical care, and that by taking away the sugar subsidy, it not only saves money, but also saves substantial public fund by eventually having less patients suffering from sugar-related diseases.

It's indeed a strategy of 'one stone two birds' from the part of the government.

The removal of sugar subsidy is a most appropriate move by a good government. It shows that the intention is making a lot of sense that has been lacking in years, before now.

A healthy nation is in the making by nabbing it at it's root, before it becomes an unnecessary burden to the nation.

I strongly support this move (of removing the sugar subsidy); and all the government ought to do is stepping up the awareness campaign to persuade the general public the wisdom of accepting it.

However, the waiving of sugar subsidy will definitely trigger another round of 'inflation' in prices of all sugar-related consumer products such as bread, biscuits etc.; but I think it's really worth the risk as the removal also reflects the truth of our cost in consuming the sugar. Government should therefore work harder to raise the income of the public in order to meet this reality.

Talking about raising income of Malaysian, I think the government must do some soul-searching quickly to find a solution, and come out with an immediate action. The government must explains why people are migrating to greener pastures in other countries with a whopping 300,000 of them in last year alone!

To some peoples, no sugar means no life; however, educational campaign to eradicate the overdosing habit of Malaysian on sugar is a noble one, and the battle against this sugar-menace must also be won before the nation heading for another setback in public health care.