![\"\"](\"https:\/\/itpbaz.kinsta.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/heart-health-.jpg\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFrom visceral fat to blood pressure and cholesterol, discover how obesity can affect cardiovascular health and what you can do to protect your heart.<\/h2>\n\n
In Malaysia, more than half of adults are overweight or obese, with abdominal obesity also affecting a significant proportion of the population. For Dato\u2019 Sri Dr. Azmee Mohd Ghazi, head of cardiology at Institut Jantung Negara (IJN), the figures are a reminder that obesity is no longer something that can be considered solely through the lens of appearance.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n\t\t\t\tIt is a health issue that can have consequences well beyond what we see in the mirror. \u201cCardiovascular disease in this part of the world, especially in Malaysia, is the leading cause of death,\u201d he explains. Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol have long been recognised as major risk factors for heart disease, but obesity is increasingly understood as another important part of that picture.<\/p>\n\n
In particular, abdominal or visceral fat, which accumulates around the organs, is closely linked to cardiovascular problems including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. What makes the relationship more complicated is that these risk factors rarely exist entirely on their own. At IJN, Dr. Azmee sees patients who arrive with cardiovascular disease and have already been living with several of these conditions, often including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and overweight or obesity. There can also be inflammation within the body associated with excess weight, adding another layer to an already complex picture. The key point, he explains, is that we should not wait for someone to develop a clear heart condition before taking prevention seriously.<\/p>\n\n
There is no single reason why obesity has become increasingly common. In Malaysia, a combination of lifestyle, environmental and societal factors can make maintaining a healthy weight more challenging than it may seem. Our food culture offers an abundance of choices, but both the quality and quantity of what we consume play an important role in long-term health. At the same time, demanding work schedules, car-dependent lifestyles and the hot climate can make regular physical activity harder to incorporate into daily routines.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIn our country, in Asia, it\u2019s difficult because the weather is hot,\u201d Dr. Azmee says. Unlike some cities where walking and public transport form a natural part of the daily routine, many Malaysians drive to work, take the car for short journeys or spend long stretches of the day sitting. For those of us whose daily routines do not provide much incidental movement, exercise has to be consciously incorporated into the week.<\/p>\n\n
Work and stress can make that even harder. Demanding schedules can leave little time or energy for exercise, while poor sleep can leave us feeling too tired to do much beyond getting through the day. Dr. Azmee believes these are increasingly relevant factors in understanding why people are struggling with their weight, particularly as he sees younger people experiencing these issues.<\/p>\n\n
That does not mean, however, that we should simply blame the weather, our culture or our busy lives. Instead, he believes we need to adapt to them. If the middle of the day is too hot for a run, exercise in the morning or evening. If walking is not part of your commute, find another way to incorporate it into your routine. The same applies to food, where healthier choices may sometimes require more thought but are still possible within the context of Malaysian life.<\/p>\n\t\t\t Low-angle view of a mid adult Japanese woman in sportswear wearing wireless headphones while performing stretching exercises outdoors. Concepts of fitness, flexibility, warm-up, wellness, healthy lifestyle, outdoor workout, recovery, active living, mobility, exercise, and sports training.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n It is less about finding the perfect lifestyle and more about making realistic changes that can be maintained. There is a wider role for the environment around us, too. When asked whether the government could do more to make active living easier, Dr. Azmee believes there is certainly room for it.<\/p>\n\n Better public transport can encourage more movement as part of the commute, while affordable gyms, well-maintained parks and safer areas for walking, running and cycling could make exercise feel more accessible. He points to the running tracks and stadiums that are already available to the public as a positive step, but believes these spaces need to feel welcoming enough that people will want to use them regularly, whether after work or with their families.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWith competing priorities, I understand that everyone is busy,\u201d he says. \u201cBut you just have to choose the right time and the right weather to do it.\u201d Perhaps one of the more difficult changes, however, is one that has little to do with infrastructure and everything to do with how we talk about weight. Obesity continues to carry a considerable amount of stigma, and there is still a tendency to reduce it to a question of willpower.<\/p>\n\n Obesity continues to carry considerable stigma and is still too often reduced to a question of willpower. Yet obesity is a chronic, relapsing medical condition shaped by a complex interaction of biology, genetics, environment and behaviour. Recognising this does not remove personal agency; it allows people to seek appropriate support without shame or blame.<\/p>\n\n If someone is overweight, the assumption can be that they simply need to eat less, exercise more or try harder. Dr. Azmee believes this approach misses the many factors that can contribute to weight gain, including family pressures, work, stress and emotional wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n He talks about emotional eating as something many people can experience, particularly when food becomes a source of comfort during stressful periods. Sleep can become part of the same cycle, with weight gain contributing to poor sleep, fatigue making exercise more difficult and conditions such as sleep apnoea further affecting the quality of rest.<\/p>\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not good to fault people who are overweight or obese,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are many, many compounding factors why they become like that.\u201d That does not mean ignoring the problem or removing personal responsibility. Rather, it means understanding what is happening so that the right support can be offered. For Dr. Azmee, treating obesity effectively can also require a team, rather than relying on a single doctor or approach.<\/p>\n\n Lifestyle remains important, but depending on the individual, care may involve a primary care physician, dietitian, physiotherapist, cardiologist or endocrinologist. The approach to treatment itself has also evolved. Once, weight management was largely reduced to the familiar advice of eating less and exercising more.<\/p>\n\n Today, there are medical treatments that can be considered alongside lifestyle changes for people who need additional support. Among the most talked-about are GLP-1-based treatments, which have brought a new level of attention to the medical management of obesity. Dr. Azmee explains that GLP-1 therapy can help reduce appetite and make people feel fuller sooner, while also slowing the movement of food through the stomach. In simpler terms, it can help reduce \u201cfood noise\u201d, the persistent thoughts about food that some people experience and make it easier to stop eating once they are satisfied.<\/p>\n\n These benefits are not measured only on the scales. Even modest, sustained weight loss can improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar control, while reducing some of the strain placed on the cardiovascular system. For Dr Azmee, this is why successful obesity management should ultimately be measured in better health, not simply kilograms lost.<\/p>\n\n The important distinction is that these treatments are not intended to be a shortcut to becoming thinner. In Malaysia, a BMI of \u226527 kg\/m2 is used when considering treatment for overweight or obesity, particularly when other health concerns such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impaired fasting glucose, diabetes or sleep apnoea are present. They should also be prescribed and monitored by a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n\n That distinction becomes particularly relevant amid the growing visibility of GLP-1 medications in popular culture, where they are sometimes discussed as a way for already slim people to lose even more weight. Dr. Azmee is clear that this is not what they are intended for. People who are underweight should not use these treatments, as further weight loss could be harmful. For those who are medically appropriate candidates, treatment still works alongside the less glamorous but considerably more enduring parts of looking after yourself. Dr. Azmee recommends around 120 minutes of moderate exercise each week, whether that means brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or using a treadmill.<\/p>\n\n Food remains part of the equation, too, with an emphasis on eating balanced meals, appropriate portions and choosing more nutrient-dense foods while limiting highly processed, calorie-dense options. What happens after a person reaches their target weight will vary from one patient to another. Depending on their progress and the lifestyle changes they have made; treatment may eventually be reduced or stopped under medical supervision. The broader aim is not simply to lose weight, but to reach a point where healthier habits can be sustained.<\/p>\n\t\t\t Close up of a young Caucasian woman having an Asian doctor\u2019s appointment at medical clinic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\n That idea of sustainability is particularly important because some of the earliest signs that something may be wrong can be surprisingly easy to overlook. Persistent fatigue, breathlessness, poor sleep or palpitations can easily be attributed to a stressful week, getting older or simply not being as fit as we once were. Yet Dr. Azmee explains that these can sometimes be signs that the body, and particularly the heart, is working harder than it should.<\/p>\n\n This is where regular screening becomes important. Rather than waiting until symptoms become impossible to ignore, knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight can provide a much clearer picture of what is happening. For some people, further cardiac checks such as an ECG, stress test or echocardiogram may also be appropriate.<\/p>\n\n For Dr. Azmee, one of the most useful pieces of advice he can give is simply to \u201cknow your numbers\u201d. It is a more meaningful way of looking at health than allowing a single figure on the scales to determine whether we feel good or bad about ourselves. Weight is one measure, but blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar can tell us much more about what is happening beneath the surface.<\/p>\n\n That is also where he believes Malaysians should begin if they are looking to reset their health in 2026. Rather than approaching the new year with another restrictive diet or an unrealistic goal, start by understanding where your health stands. Get screened, pay attention to your numbers and speak to a healthcare professional if something is not where it should be. From there, the appropriate next steps might involve changes to diet and exercise, managing blood pressure or cholesterol, addressing other health conditions or considering medical treatment where necessary.<\/p>\n\n And for anyone who has been avoiding that conversation because of embarrassment or a lack of confidence, Dr. Azmee\u2019s final message is perhaps the most reassuring one. \u201cAs physicians, we will not judge.\u201d For him, acknowledging that you need help is not an admission of failure. It is the beginning of taking better care of yourself.<\/p>\n\n Whether that means speaking to a GP, seeing a specialist, making changes to your daily routine or exploring treatment options, there is no reason for shame to be part of the process.<\/p>\n\n Perhaps that is the bigger shift we need to make in the way we think about weight. It should not be solely about looking a certain way or reaching a number that makes us feel we have succeeded. It should be about understanding our bodies, paying attention to the signs they give us and acting while we still have the opportunity to do so. After all, when it comes to long-term wellbeing, the most important number may not be the one staring back at us from the scales, but everything our health is quietly telling us beyond it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From visceral fat to blood pressure and cholesterol, discover how obesity can affect cardiovascular health and what you can do to protect your heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bzd_title_left":"","bzd_title_right":"","footnotes":"","bz_kicker":"Health & Wellness","bz_opener":"split","bz_photographer":"","bz_hero_caption":"","bz_hero_credit":"","bz_hero_clip":0,"bz_inset":486,"bz_tile_image":0,"bz_clip":0,"bz_tile_dek":"","bz_reading_time":"","bz_duration":"","bz_feature_small":0,"bz_feature_medium":0,"bz_feature_quote":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[175,176,177,178,179,180],"bz_slot":[],"class_list":["post-484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beauty","tag-dato-sri-dr-azmee-mohd-ghazi","tag-glp1","tag-institut-jantung-negara-ijn","tag-novo-nordisk","tag-world-health-day","tag-world-heart-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1591,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484\/revisions\/1591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484"},{"taxonomy":"bz_slot","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preview.itp.luxury\/baz-my-2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bz_slot?post=484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Low-angle](\"https:\/\/itpbaz.kinsta.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2286125297.jpg\")
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