Obesity as a Disease: The Malaysian Perspective

Abstract

Obesity is increasingly recognised as a chronic, relapsing, and progressive disease driven by complex interactions between biological, environmental, and societal determinants. Malaysia faces one of the highest obesity burdens in Southeast Asia, with more than two-thirds of adults classified as overweight or obese when local diagnostic thresholds are applied. This editorial examines obesity through a disease-based lens, highlighting Malaysian epidemiological trends, underlying physiological mechanisms, and the rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape. It further discusses policy and health-economic implications, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive, system-wide response that integrates prevention, evidence-based treatment, and stigma-free care. Recognising obesity as a disease is fundamental to reversing current trajectories, preventing long-term complications and collapse of the healthcare economy, as well as to ensure sustainable health outcomes for Malaysians.