{"id":210244,"date":"2025-12-31T16:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/210244\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T16:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T16:38:07","slug":"fitness-coach-shares-why-young-malaysians-are-losing-their-kidneys-some-as-young-as-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/210244\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitness coach shares ‘why young Malaysians are losing their kidneys’; some as young as 40"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rising cases of kidney problems are being reported among young adults in Malaysia, with lifestyle factors, poor diet<\/a>, and lack of exercise being key contributors. Alarmingly, some individuals are facing serious kidney issues as early as 40.<\/p>\n

\"Young Young Malaysians face rising kidney issues due to poor lifestyle choices.(Shutterstock) <\/p>\n

A cross\u2011sectional study<\/a> published in April\u202f2025 in the Environment\u2011Behaviour Proceedings Journal assessed public awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among 1,391 adults in two Malaysian states and found that overall knowledge remains low despite CKD\u2019s high prevalence in the country.<\/p>\n

Milo Yap, body transformation coach and fitness trainer, shares in his December 4 Instagram post insights on why this trend is affecting younger populations and what can be done to protect kidney health. (Also read: Milind Soman does pull-ups, runs outdoors even in freezing -2\u00b0C weather, gives fans major fitness inspiration at 60<\/a> )<\/p>\n

\u201cThree times a week. Four hours each time. For the rest of his life. That\u2019s dialysis,\u201d warns Milo Yap, highlighting the harsh reality faced by many young Malaysians. \u201cHe\u2019s 40. His kidneys failed. \u2018But he\u2019s so young,\u2019 everyone said. Kidney disease<\/a> doesn\u2019t care about age anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yap explains that lifestyle factors, untreated conditions, and certain habits are contributing to a rise in kidney failure among younger adults. Here\u2019s what he points out:<\/p>\n

1. Uncontrolled diabetes<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh blood sugar directly damages your kidneys,\u201d says Milo. \u201cMany are pre-diabetic for years without knowing it, then diabetic, and by the time symptoms appear, their kidneys are 80 per cent destroyed. Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. High blood pressure<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may feel fine and never check your blood pressure<\/a>,\u201d he continues. \u201cBut high blood pressure silently damages the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys until they stop working.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Painkiller overuse<\/p>\n

\u201cMany take NSAIDs like Panadol or Ibuprofen for headaches, body aches, or even hangovers, thinking it\u2019s harmless,\u201d Yap warns. \u201cOver time, these destroy your kidneys.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Energy drinks and unregulated supplements<\/p>\n

\u201cPre-workout mixes, energy drinks, and health supplements often contain substances that harm your kidneys,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou may think you\u2019re getting healthy, but you\u2019re poisoning yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Dehydration and high-protein diets<\/p>\n

\u201cSkipping plain water while relying on coffee, tea, or high-protein diets stresses the kidneys,\u201d Milo explains. \u201cThis can lead to stones, damage, and ultimately failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warning signs<\/p>\n

Yap lists the key signals that kidney function may be declining:<\/p>\n

Foamy urine (protein leakage)Swollen feet or anklesPersistent fatiguePoor appetite or nauseaFrequent nighttime urination<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you notice two or more of these signs, get your kidney function<\/a> tested immediately,\u201d he advises.<\/p>\n

\u201cKidney failure means dialysis three times a week, or a transplant if you\u2019re lucky,\u201d Milo says. \u201cIt comes with lifetime medication, massive costs, and a shortened lifespan and most cases are preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n

What you can do<\/p>\n

Milo recommends:<\/p>\n

Regular kidney function tests (creatinine, eGFR, urine protein)Controlling blood sugar and blood pressureAvoiding regular painkiller useDrinking 2\u20133 litres of plain water dailySteering clear of unregulated supplements<\/p>\n

\u201cYour kidneys filter 200 litres of blood every day,\u201d he concludes. \u201cWhen they fail, your body poisons itself. Don\u2019t let it get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.<\/p>\n

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rising cases of kidney problems are being reported among young adults in Malaysia, with lifestyle factors, poor diet,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[45399,565,134,1606,93625,7483,98251,111,139,55018,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-210244","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-chronic-kidney-disease","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-high-blood-pressure","12":"tag-kidney-function","13":"tag-lifestyle-factors","14":"tag-malaysians","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-newzealand","17":"tag-nsaids","18":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}