When Bigger Is Not Better

You probably know by now that Malaysia is the most obese country in Asia. Even our children are affected. A leading expert on paediatrics and nutrition, Dr Nataniel Viuniski, was in Kuala Lumpur to talk about childhood obesity and its consequences.

- Mok Shi-Lynn

According to a study by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), 30% of children and teenagers aged 6 – 17 years old in Malaysia are either overweight or obese. And this number is increasing year by year. The problem of obesity is not limited to just a few countries either. Data from the World Health Organization shows that rates of child overweight and obesity in various parts of the world have doubled in the last two decades.

Dr Nataniel Viuniski, who specializes in nutrition and paediatrics, was flown in to the region by Herbalife to shed some light on this weighty issue. He has a Master’s degree in weight management and physical activity, works with various universities in his home country of Brazil, runs a weight control clinic and is a member of the Herbalife Nutrition Advisory Board.

How did we get so big?

The most basic cause for weight gain remains the same: too much food goes in, and too little gets used up. However, according to Dr Viuniski, there are many more new and complicating risk factors for the high numbers of overweight and obesity that have come into the picture in recent times. For example, lack of sleep and poor sleep quality both contribute to weight gain and development of obesity.

In addition, children spend a lot of time in front of a screen – televisions, smartphones, tablets, computers. This sedentary lifestyle lowers expenditure of energy, leading swiftly to unhealthy gains in weight. “Nothing,” emphasized Dr Viuniski, “Nothing paralyzes a child more than a screen. We have studies in Brazil showing that every schoolage child spends around six hours every day in front of a screen. From what I see here in Southeast Asia, it’s probably the same.”

A big problem that leads to bigger problems