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Increased cardiometabolic risk among children is increasingly becoming a concern, with evidence indicating that obesity, diet, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are associated with cardiometabolic risk. However, such studies among Malaysian children are scarce. Thus, this study explores the associations between adiposity, dietary quality, and 25(OH)D, with cardiometabolic risk factors among Malaysian children aged 4–12 years. Data of 479 children (mean age: 8.2 ± 2.3 years old, 52% females) from the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS II) Malaysia, were included in this analysis. Adiposity (percentage of body fat) was assessed with bioelectrical impedance technique. Dietary quality was assessed using 24 h dietary recall and calculated as mean adequacy ratio. Vitamin D was assessed based on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Measurements of cardiometabolic risk factors included waist circumference (WC), mean arterial pressure (MAP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and cardiometabolic risk cluster score (siMS) was calculated. Overall, higher adiposity was positively associated with all cardiometabolic risk factors (WC, ß = 0.907; 95% CI = 0.865, 0.948; MAP, ß = 0.225; 95% CI = 0.158, 0.292; HDL, ß = −0.011; 95% CI = −0.014, −0.009; Triglyceride, ß = 0.012; 95% CI = 0.009, 0.016; FBG, ß = 0.006; 95% CI = 0.002, 0.011) and siMS score (ß = 0.033; 95% CI = 0.029, 0.037). Serum 25(OH)D was inversely associated with siMS score (ß = −0.002; 95% CI = −0.004, −0.000008) and positively associated with HDL (ß = 0.002; 95% CI = 0.0001, 0.003). Our findings suggest that adiposity is a key determinant of adverse cardiometabolic risk factors in children, while serum 25(OH)D may be associated with overall cardiometabolic health. Interventions to reduce obesity are needed to mitigate the deleterious consequences of cardiometabolic dysregulation in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood is a critical developmental stage where established dietary patterns can impact lifelong health outcomes. This study investigates dietary patterns and their relationships with sociodemographic factors among Malaysian preschoolers. A total of 643 preschoolers of Malay, Indian, Chinese and other ethnicities participating in South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS II) were included. Dietary intake was assessed using a single triple‐pass 24‐h dietary recall method. Dietary patterns were derived using principal component analysis and their association with sociodemographic factors was determined using complex sampling logistic regressions. Five dietary patterns were identified: "healthy eating," "wholegrains and starchy vegetables," "high salt and sugar," "Western food," and "sugary drinks and legumes". Having older siblings was inversely associated with a "healthy eating" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33–0.87). Malay ethnicity was associated with higher odds of adhering to the "high salt and sugar" pattern (adjusted OR: 4.12, 95% CI: 2.20–7.75). Meanwhile, children living in urban areas (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.03–3.01), those from middle‐income families (adjusted OR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.38–7.40) and whose fathers were overweight (adjusted OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.58–4.94) showed a higher association with "Western food" pattern. Conversely, children whose mothers had overweight were less likely to adhere to the "Western food" pattern (adjusted OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30–0.83). Older age was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of the "sugary drinks and legumes" pattern (adjusted OR: 3.99, 95% CI: 1.75–9.06). There was no significant association between "wholegrains and starchy vegetables" pattern with sociodemographic characteristics (all p > 0.05). These findings suggest that ethnicity, age, residence area, having older siblings, parental weight status and household income level are associated with dietary patterns among multiethnic preschoolers in Malaysia. Thus, these sociodemographic characteristics should be considered when designing targeted dietary strategies and interventions for preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper aims to report South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS) II Malaysia data on nutritional status, dietary intake and nutritional biomarkers of children aged 6 months to 12 years. Design: Cross-sectional survey conducted in 2019–2020. Setting: Multistage cluster sampling conducted in Central, Northern, Southern and East Coast regions of Peninsular Malaysia. Participants: 2989 children aged 0·5–12·9 years. Results: Prevalences of stunting, thinness, overweight and obesity among children aged 0·5–12·9 years were 8·9 %, 6·7 %, 9·2 % and 8·8 %, respectively. Among children below 5 years old, 11·4 % were underweight, 13·8 % had stunting and 6·2 % had wasting. Data on nutritional biomarkers showed that a small proportion of children aged 4–12 years had Fe (2·9 %) and vitamin A deficiencies (3·1 %). Prevalence of anaemia was distinctly different between children below 4 years old (40·3 %) and those aged 4 years and above (3·0 %). One-fourth of children (25·1 %) had vitamin D insufficiency, which was twice as prevalent in girls (35·2 % v. boys: 15·6 %). The majority of children did not meet the recommended dietary intake for Ca (79·4 %) and vitamin D (94·8 %). Conclusions: Data from SEANUTS II Malaysia confirmed that triple burden of malnutrition coexist among children in Peninsular Malaysia, with higher prevalence of overnutrition than undernutrition. Anaemia is highly prevalent among children below 4 years old, while vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among girls. Low intakes of dietary Ca and vitamin D are also of concern. These findings provide policymakers with useful and evidence-based data to formulate strategies that address the nutritional issues of Malaysian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality globally. Processed and ultra-processed foods are reported to be high in energy, sugar, and unhealthy fats, while low in fibre, vitamins and minerals, that can increase the risk of cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving adults aged 18-59 years was conducted in Peninsular Malaysia (n=122). Sociodemographic data were obtained through a questionnaire and lifestyle habits score for cancer prevention was assessed using MyGenomSihat©. The food frequency questionnaire used had four groups (i.e., unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods) containing 53 food items to evaluate the frequency of food consumption. All data obtained were self-reported by the participants. Results: Mean age was 27.6±8.1 years with a majority (76.2%) having household income of less than

Objective: Misreporting of energy intake (EI) in nutritional epidemiology is common and even severe among adolescents. Thus, the current study aims to examine the presence, bias and impact introduced by implausible reporters. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Central and eastern regions of Peninsular Malaysia. Participants: A stratified random sampling was employed to select 917 secondary school-going adolescents (aged 15–17 years). Results: The prevalence of under-reporters was 17·4 %, while no over-reporters were identified. Under-reporters had higher body composition and lower dietary intakes (except for vitamin C, Cr and Fl) compared with plausible reporters (P < 0·05). Adolescents with overweight and obesity had a higher odds of under-reporting compared with under-/normal weight adolescents (P < 0·001). In model 3, the highest regression coefficient (R 2 = 0·404, P < 0·001) was obtained after adjusting for reporting status. Conclusions: Overweight and obese adolescents were more likely to under-report their food intake and consequently affect nutrient intakes estimates. Future analyses that include nutrient intake data should adjust for reporting status so that the impact of misreporting on study outcomes can be conceded and consequently improve the accuracy of dietary-related results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current evidence suggests that dietary and lifestyle factors may play an important role in colorectal cancer risk but there are only a few studies that investigated their relationship with colorectal adenomas (CRA), the precursors for colorectal cancer. A case-control study was conducted to determine the relationship between dietary and lifestyle factors associated with CRA risk among 125 subjects with CRA and 150 subjects without CRA at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM (HCTM), Malaysia. We used dietary history questionnaire (DHQ) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ) to estimate the diet and physical activity. The findings of this study showed that male gender [OR = 2.71 (95% CI= 1.01–7.27)], smoking [OR = 6.39 (95% CI= 1.04–39.30)], family history of cancer [OR = 6.39 (95% CI= 1.04–39.30)], high body fat percentage [OR = 1.25 (95% CI= 1.04–1.51)], high calorie and fat intake [OR = 1.03 (95% CI= 1.01–1.06)], [OR = 1.01 (95% CI= 0.95–1.09)] and red meat intake more than 100 g per day [OR = 1.02 (95% CI= 1.01–1.04)] increased CRA risk. High fiber [OR = 0.78 (95% CI= 0.64–0.95)] and calcium intake [OR = 0.78 (95% CI= 0.98–1.00)] was found to decrease CRA risk. Some of these modifiable risk factors could be advocated as lifestyle interventions to reduce risk of CRA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of cancer globally is increasing, partly due to lifestyle factors. Despite a better understanding of cancer biology and advancement in cancer management and therapies, current strategies in cancer treatment remain costly and cause socioeconomic burden especially in Asian countries. Hence, instead of putting more efforts in searches for new cancer cures, attention has now shifted to understanding how to mitigate cancer risk by modulating lifestyle factors. It has been established that carcinogenesis is multifactorial, and the important detrimental role of oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and genomic instability is evident. To date, there is no study linking dietary pattern and genomic stability in cancer risk in the Asian food landscape. Thus, this present review article discusses recent literature on dietary pattern and genomic stability and its relationship with cancer risk in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]