The second virtual Nutrition Seminar and Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Unit (N2RTU) virtual dialogue forum, which aimed to educate, empower, and emancipate type 2 diabetes in Malaysia, were jointly organised by the Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research (CBNR) of UTAR; The Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) of University of Reading; and The Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Research and Training Unit (N2RTU), and funded by the British Council and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT);  Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and  Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, India; Ministry of Health Malaysia; and Nutrition Society of Malaysia on 17 December 2022.

The virtual seminar enlightened undergraduates, postgraduates, research scholars, academicians, nutritionists, and eminent scientists in the field of nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, epidemiology, genetics, nutrition and dietetics from across the globe and Malaysia, on “Precision nutrition in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes”. It also showcased ongoing research, issues, and challenges in implementing the precision nutrition approach to combat Type 2 Diabetes in Malaysia and South Asian countries.

The first speaker, Resident Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dr Vijay Ananda Paramasvaran spoke on “Diabetes in Malaysia: The rising tide”. The second speaker was Dr Kumari Rathnayake, who is the head of Department of Applied Nutrition Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. She spoke on “Precision nutrition for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes in developing countries”. The session continued with a question-and-answer session titled “Ask the experts: Genetics to Microbiome: Applications in diabetes research”. CBNR Chairperson Dr Eddy Cheah Seong Guan, an expert in Medical Microbiology and Dr Jahnavi, an expert in Molecular Genetics, interacted with the participants on ways to apply genetics and microbiome studies to precision nutrition.

The session continued with a dialogue forum on “Precision nutrition in Malaysia: Hype or hope?”, which saw the panellists discussing implementations of precision nutrition in Malaysia and sharing their views on future foresight topics. The panellists were Head of NMCRC, Institute for Medical Research from the Ministry of Health, Malaysia Dr Mohd Fairulnizal bin Mohd Noh; Vice President of Nutrition Society of Malaysia and Associate Professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia Assoc Prof Dr Mahenderan Appukutty; Founder and CEO of Adam’s Genetics Private Limited, India, Shah Fahad Husami; Medical Affairs Director of B-Crobes Group of Companies, Malaysia Dr Kaley Oon; and Head of Programme (Dietetics) from Department of Allied Health Sciences of UTAR Muhammad Zulhusni bin Suhaimi. The forum was moderated by Prof Vimal Karani S, Professor in Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, University of Reading, UK who also spearheads the British Council-MIGHT funded N2RTU in Malaysia.

The Organising Chairperson and the Malaysian lead for the N2RTU project, Dr Anto Cordelia said, “The seminar and forum were supported by 387 participants from 17 countries around the world, with diverse affiliations and disciplines, and they benefited from these awareness programmes. The seminar and forum enthralled the participants on ways to overcome the risks of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle modifications and created awareness, especially among the youths (millennials and Gen Z) who fall short in terms of general diabetes awareness as compared to their older counterparts.”

She also explained, “The inflation in the global burden of diabetes in recent decades has had its toll in Malaysia and is expected to soar in the next few decades. Being titled ‘the Sweetest Nation in Asia’ with 1 in 5 adults living with diabetes, this levies a huge economic burden of approximately USD600million. Of the 4.431 million Malaysians with diabetes in 2021, 2.175 million were undiagnosed and is predicted that there will be 5.024 and 6.465 million Malaysian diabetics in 2030 and 2045 respectively. This raises increasing concerns about the health and economic threat imposed on the Malaysian government. On average, diabetic individuals’ medical expenditures are approximately 2.3 times higher than non-diabetic counterparts. Therefore, the events have truly enriched participants with knowledge on type 2 diabetes and precision nutrition.”