Friday 30 September 2022

Cybercriminals beware: public must be aware of how scams work, Putting the brakes on cybercrime

PUTTING THE BRAKES ON CYBERCRIME - PDRM

A day after The Star’s page one story on the increasing number of online financial crimes, Bank Negara announces it is joining forces with the police to stem the rising tide. The central bank is instituting tighter security controls while the cops are intensifying efforts to make the public more aware of cybercrimes.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/27/putting-the-brakes-on-cybercrime?dmplayersource=share-link

Public must be more aware of how scams work

KUALA LUMPUR: Cybercriminals are very good at quickly adopting and exploiting new technological changes to stay ahead of law enforcement while they scam millions from the public.

This is why the number of online financial crimes is rising around the world and in Malaysia, according to Inspector-general of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

Such crimes can have terrible consequences, he pointed out in his speech before he and Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus launched a virtual Financial Crime exhibition yesterday.

“Financial crimes can devastate the victim and lead to more mule accounts being created for the purpose of scams. It can also have a negative impact on the nation’s economy in the long term,” said Acryl Sani.

Loan scammers and Ah Long (loan sharks) use social media sites and chat applications to advertise their loan offers with fast approvals.

“The syndicates will deal with the victims online and demand various documents and fees before duping them,” he explained.

Bukit Aman expects the syndicates will still employ similar tactics, but they will focus on a younger victim pool – students and youths – to pull off illegal money lending and mule account scams now.

“We are cooperating with banking institutions to ensure investigations, especially those involving mule accounts, can be completed faster,” Acryl Sani said.

Fraud in online purchases, loan and investment scams, the Macau and African scam

In 2019, there were 13,703 cases recorded with Rm539mil in losses; followed by 17,227 cases in 2020 and Rm511.2mil in losses; and 20,701 cases last year with Rm560.8mil lost. As at July this year, 12,092 cases had been recorded, resulting in Rm414.8mil in losses, he said.

Bukit Aman has rounded up 33,147 suspects between 2019 and July this year, while 22,196 cases have been prosecuted.

While there is some awareness among members of the public of such crimes nowadays, it is still not strong enough to prevent increasing numbers.

The Royal Malaysia Police has various programmes and campaigns to raise awareness about cybercrimes among the public, such as the “Let’s Fight Scammers Together” campaign.

“We will step up such activities this year,” Acryl Sani added.

The IGP advised the public to safeguard their personal information and avoid downloading files or applications from unverified sources onto mobile devices.

Account holders who encounter suspicious transactions involving their bank accounts should immediately notify their banks, contact the CCID infoline via Whatsapp at 013211 1222, or the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559/1599 or BNMTELELINK at 1-300-88-5465.

“They should also lodge a police report to facilitate the investigation,” said Acryl Sani.

The virtual Financial Crime exhibition by Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, which can be accessed at bit.ly/bnm_ crime, lays out various types of financial crimes and how they have evolved over time.

It features interactive exhibits that allow the public to simulate financial scam scenarios. Through the various exhibits, the public will be able to learn strategies – such as Spot, Stop and Share, aka 3S – to protect themselves and others from becoming victims.

Putting the brakes on cybercrime

Banks to further tighten security control to stay one step ahead of scammers

KUALA LUMPUR: If you notice your online banking transactions taking a little longer in the future, don’t complain. It’s a sign that your bank is trying to protect you from cybercriminals.

Concerned by the rising number of scams and online financial crimes globally and in Malaysia, Bank Negara is directing the banking industry to undertake tighter security controls, its governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said.

ALSO READ: Public must be more aware of how scams work

The level of concern is great enough to bring about a rare high-level meeting between Nor Shamsiah and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani yesterday, when they also launched a virtual Financial Crime Exhibition.

“Bank Negara requires banks in Malaysia to adopt high standards of security, especially for Internet and mobile banking services,” Nor Shamsiah said in her speech at the event.

ALSO READ:Watch out! There are many ways in which we get duped

This will include measures such as migration of SMS one-time-passwords (OTPs) to a more secure form of authentication; further tightening of detection rules and triggers for blocking scam-related transactions; and subjecting first-time enrolment of online banking services and secure devices to a cooling-off period.

Customers will also be restricted to one mobile device or secure device for authenticating online banking transactions, and banks will also be required to set up dedicated scam hotlines.

ALSO READ: Consumers must become more aware of scams

While the control measures may entail some inconvenience, they are important to protect customers.

“These controls may lead to some friction or inconvenience in the online banking experience of customers.

“For example, online banking transactions might take a little longer to process. Financial institutions will also conduct more checks when customers request to change or register a new phone number,” Nor Shamsiah said.

Fighting crime: Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus and Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani at the virtual launch of Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery’s ‘Financial Crime: Scan Before You’re Scammed’. — Bank Negara

However, she said, when implementing these measures, Bank Negara and the financial industry will continue to carefully balance between security considerations and customer convenience.

She also said that financial institutions have been directed to be more responsive to scam reports lodged by customers and to facilitate efforts to recover and protect stolen funds, including working with relevant agencies to prevent further losses.

“Bank Negara will also continue to monitor and take appropriate action with financial institutions to ensure that the highest levels of controls and security standards are observed.

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https://cdn.thestar.com.my/Content/Images/cybercrime.jpg

“We will also continue to take effective preventive measures against ever-evolving financial scams.”

Together with the financial industry, Bank Negara will continue to ensure that banking and payment channels remain secure and equipped with the latest security controls, she said.

Acknowledging that criminal tactics change all the time, she said that Bank Negara continuously intensifies deterrent efforts and introduces additional controls as well as safeguards and collaborates with other stakeholders to keep ahead of scammers.

These include rolling out preventive measures, pursuing more effective and coordinated enforcement actions, and raising public awareness.

“The effort to eradicate financial scams requires cooperation and concerted action from all parties – not just from Bank Negara and the financial industry, but also from law enforcement agencies and relevant ministries and agencies, as well as the public,” she added.

Bank Negara, together with the police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and National Anti-Financial Crime Centre, will work together to further elevate the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s Scam Response Centre into a more systematic information-sharing platform that will enable quicker action to prevent further losses.

Nor Shamsiah said the cooperation of law enforcement agencies is key, especially in sharing information and intelligence.

The public also has a role to play in protecting themselves by making sure to be aware of scams.

“An important aspect of dealing with financial scams is raising public awareness about tactics used by criminals and the steps that the public can take to avoid becoming victims.

“In this regard, Bank Negara, the financial industry and law enforcement agencies will continue efforts to enhance the effectiveness of awareness programmes and improve on the dissemination of information to the public,” she said.

The virtual Financial Crime Exhibition launched yesterday is an example of such efforts as it seeks to educate the public about financial scams. It can be viewed at bit.ly/bnm_crime.

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI and RAGANANTHINI VETHASALAM

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PUTTING THE BRAKES ON CYBERCRIME - PDRM

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Thursday 29 September 2022

While 60% of the country’s population are Malays, non-Malays find the narratives of race and religion outdated and reflecting poorly on political leadership

Malaysians now looking for a new narrative of diversity and inclusiveness, not just Malay unity

No easy battle ahead for Pejuang

IT looks certain that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic), who now heads the Pejuang party, will defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat in the impending general election.

The former prime minister, who turns 98 next year, does not have much choice as he is the only candidate from his party who has a realistic chance of winning.

Although he has announced that his newly-formed movement Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), led by Pejuang, will be contesting in 120 seats, he should not be too ambitious.

In the Johor state election in March, all 42 Pejuang candidates lost their deposits.

In GE15, the field is expected to be crowded with Opposition parties, which will not be helpful to his coalition of Muslim-Malay political parties and non-governmental organisations.

Most of the coalition leaders are has-beens and unknowns while even the electorate still has no idea what Pejuang – or the coalition – really stands for.

That, however, has not stopped Dr Mahathir, who was twice PM, from saying he “would reluctantly accept the responsibility of leading the government for a third time if needed”.

The Malay Mail reported him as saying at a GTA forum at the Bangi Convention Centre last week that “he would prefer a less taxing role, one that would allow him to advise or be an expert consultant to the prime minister”. But he was quick to add: “If the insistence were to be incessant, I would find it hard to only think about myself.”

“So, if the insistence is there, I will accept,” he said when asked about his willingness to assume the mantle for a third time.

“However, it cannot be for the full term,” he told the audience in Bangi. “Maybe just for a year.”

With due respect to Dr Mahathir, a seasoned political player, he may have been trying to boost the confidence of his audience ahead of the polls.

Heading a fledgling political party and a hurriedly put-up coalition, Dr Mahathir would surely want to instil hope and belief that victory is possible and that he can become a PM for a record third time.

Dr Mahathir may be good at setting records, but it would not be wrong to suggest that most Malaysians do not share his enthusiasm. In fact, we are quite horrified at the thought.

His political detractors, especially those in Umno, would want him stopped as Pejuang’s entry could split the Malay voters.

The same sentiment is shared by Perikatan Nasional led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

While Dr Mahathir’s coalition talks of uniting the Malays and Muslims, the other two similar coalitions think it will be the other way around.

He has no friends in the Opposition either. Prior to his resignation as prime minister in 2020, Dr Mahathir had been meant to pass the post to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but he never did so, claiming there was no formal agreement setting a deadline for him to do so.

Dr Mahathir is still respected by non-Malays for his two decades as PM but that admiration took a huge dent after the collapse of the 22-month old Pakatan Harapan government. He has been blamed for the downfall as he quit as PM.

Worse, his occasional racist remarks have alienated many non-Malays.

While 60% of the country’s population are Malays, non-Malays find such narratives of race and religion outdated and reflecting poorly on political leadership.

Political leaders around the world have become younger – many are even in their 30s and 40s – and voters are looking for new ideas and a better Malaysia.

But Dr Mahathir still talked of race, saying at the Bangi convention that “he only wished to see his vision for the Malay community come to pass under a caring and trustworthy government”.

At 97, it is very hard for Dr Mahathir to change his beliefs.

His legacy is already ruined, but he can earn a last round of respect if he talks of bringing Malaysians together.

It is unfortunate that as the nation celebrates 65 years of independence, our political leaders still want to harp on Muslims and Malays as if other Malaysians, including the large non-Muslim bumiputra population in Sabah and Sarawak, do not exist at all.

The Chinese population may be declining but it remains an important 25% and playing a crucial role in Malaysia’s economy. The same goes for the Indians.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s “Keluarga Malaysia” campaign may be seen by some as mere political rhetoric, but it resonates with the call for diversity and inclusiveness.

Dr Mahathir’s problem is that he cannot let go. In March, he “confirmed” that he would not defend Langkawi due to health reasons but in June, he changed his mind, saying he “may” defend his seat if no suitable candidate is found.

Now, it is almost sure he will be a candidate.

Dr Mahathir deserves a rest from politics. He was discharged from hospital early this month after a bout of Covid-19 and in February, he had to undergo a procedure for a heart problem.

Seriously, he needs to know when to exit the stage. No one is indispensable and there is nothing worse than old scripts and sequels. It really turns off the audience.

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Steady residential property sector and positive 1H property market data trends, Malaysia

Market spurred by latent demand post pandemic

“Residential property transaction volume and values are up year-on year in 1H22.” Datuk Siders Sittampalam >>

SINCE the resumption of economic activities and reopening of international borders, the residential property market has seen a pick-up in activity.

According to the National Property Information Centre (Napic), the residential property sector recorded 116,178 transactions worth Rm45.62bil in the first half of 2022 (1H22), which was an increase of 26.3% in volume and 32.2% in value year-on-year.

However, in light of prevailing uncertainties such as the upcoming Budget 2023, potential 15th General Election and macroeconomic headwinds, can the steady trend so far be sustained for the remainder of 2022?

PPC International managing director Datuk Siders Sittampalam says it’s “anyone’s guess” how the local residential property market will fare for the remainder of this year.

“With plenty going on such as the looming elections and global economic uncertainty, it could have an indirect effect on the property market,” he tells Starbizweek.

Still, Siders says the residential sub-sector has been off to a good start this year.

“Residential property transaction volume and values are up year-onyear in 1H22 and it’s been the highest increase since 2016.

“This can be attributed to latent demand, post pandemic. Many that held back purchases in the market are now back again (since January 2022),” he says.

Siders adds that loan approvals have also picked up, adding however that approval rates are still below pre-pandemic levels.

He also points out that the increase in interest rates so far this year has not had an impact on the market (in terms of demand).

“Going forward, I believe that volume and values should sustain, just like how they were in the first half of this year. It will be steady, barring unforeseen factors, be it domestically or externally.”

According to Napic, the property market performance recorded a rebound in 1H22, a reflection of normalising economic activity as the country moved towards endemicity.

“With the positive projection on economic growth by Bank Negara (at between 5.3% and 6.3% in 2022), supported by the implementation of various government initiatives and assistance, the property market performance is expected to be on track.”

Meanwhile, CBRE|WTW in its property market performance for 1H22, believes that moving forward, transactional activities should remain resilient in locations with good accessibility and comprehensive amenities.

“Developers are anticipated to remain prudent, focusing on established townships and mature locations. In addition, upcoming launches would see a shift towards more sustainable elements to meet buyers’ shift for cost-efficient and eco-friendly homes.”

As at the first quarter of 2022, CBRE|WTW says the Klang Valley landed residential sector remained encouraging.

“Average transacted prices rose 6.8% year-on-year while transacted volume increased 11.2% year-onyear (more than 9,100 units), but was less than the 10,000 units transacted in the fourth quarter of 2021.”

CBRE|WTW says new launches picked up slightly in the second quarter, despite developers maintaining a cautious approach.

“Landed launches continue to perform well and launch prices of terraced houses remained between RM500,000 and RM800,000, except for some priced above the Rm1mil mark in the City of Elmina, Setia Eco Templer and KL East.”

Meanwhile, locations such as Klang Valley South, such as Sepang, Salak Tinggi and Kuala Langat remain the hotspots, says CBRE|WTW.

It says these locations recorded consistent growth, encouraged by industrialisation and good road accessibility.

“Several areas located in the north of Klang Valley are also hotspots of new launches, typically in Rawang, Puncak Alam and Sungai Buloh.”

As for high-rise residential units, Siders says a market study needs to be conducted to ease the oversupply of such properties.

“Comparatively, landed properties tend to do well as there’s always demand,” he says.

Siders also believes that the government could consider bringing back the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) to spur the market.

To help drive the sector, the government introduced the HOC in June 2020 under the Penjana initiative.

The campaign ended on Dec 31, 2021. Many industry observers and property players believed that the HOC was a huge help to the market and urged the government to extend the campaign period into 2022.

Meanwhile, CBRE|WTW says additional measures are still required to improve market activities for the high-rise residential sub-sector.

“The waiver of stamp duty should continue. A continual increase of the overnight policy rate (OPR) is expected in 2H22 amid the global high-cost environment.

“Since project launches have been limited, competition would also not intensify, with prices remaining stagnant. The cost of borrowing may further impact demand and prices if there is an additional OPR hike 2H22.”

CBRE|WTW adds that the upcoming launch of Mass Rapid Transit 3 may benefit property valuers along the route, including an increase in project launches, particularly in Mont Kiara.

“Moving forward, developers may shift focus to offerings emphasising exclusivity and low-density living with better facilities.”

CBRE|WTW says the existing supply of high-rise residential units stood at 68,555 units in 1H22, whilst 219,398 units are in the pipeline for completion by 2024.

“The bulk of incoming supply will be in central Kuala Lumpur, namely the golden triangle area (30%).”

On market activity, CBRE|WTW says both the average transacted value and asking rents are stable at RM779 per sq ft and RM3.80 per sq ft, respectively, supported by the increased interest from homebuyers and renters.

“The average occupancy rate also increased slightly to 64% due to improved market conditions. Following that, project launches have been limited and the focus is still on the sales of ongoing projects.

“Nonetheless, two transit-oriented development projects were launched in 1H22 in Pudu and Bukit Damansara, with unit sizes ranging from 480 sq ft to 1,080 sq ft priced from RM360,000 and units sized from 1,001 sq ft priced from Rm1.8mil and above.”

According to Napic, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Selangor formed about 47% of the total national residential volume in 1H22.

“More than 10,000 units of new launches were recorded, down by 66.7% against 31,687 units in 1H21.”

Against 2H21, the new launches were lower by 13.3% (2H21: 12,173 units),” it says.

“Sales performance for new launches stood at 20.3%, slightly lower than 1H21 (20.6%) and 2H21 (28.1%).”

According to Napic, Johor recorded the highest number of new launches in the country, capturing nearly 23.8% (2,509 units) of the national total with sales performance at 31.8%.

Sabah recorded the second highest number (1,335 units, 12.7% share) with sales performance at 10.6%. This was followed by Perak (1,317 units, 12.5% share) with sales performance at 19.4%.

Terraced houses dominated the new launches. Single storey (2,047 units) and two-to-three storey (5,150 units) together contributed 68.2% of the total units with sales performance at 22%, followed by condominium / apartment units at 19% share (2,009 units) with sales performance at 12.4%.

By eu.ene MAHALIN.AM eugenicz@thestar.com.my

Positive 1H property market data trends

THE recently released property market data for the first half of 2022 (1H22) by the National Property Information Centre (Napic) showed that the Malaysian property market has found a firmer footing over the review period.

On a half-yearly basis, while transaction volume and value surged to a new record high of 188,002 units worth Rm84.4bil, what was most revealing is that the overhang market trend has finally eased, while future and planned supply was reduced.

For the past four years, this column has been calling for stricter measures to control the market’s oversupply situation and for property developers to be more mindful of the market’s overhang status.

The data for the 1H22 shows that finally, some sanity has set in.

Having said that, as far as prices are concerned, the Malaysian House Price Index (HPI), as seen in Figure 1, continues to show a declining trend with the growth in the 1H22, slowing down to just 0.5% year-on-year (y-o-y), dragged by a 2.5% y-o-y drop in Penang HPI, and in terms of segment, detached homes and high-rises continue to dictate the downtrend with a 2.3% and 0.5% y-o-y drop respectively.

An improved picture

For property overhang, this column aggregates the supply in the residential segment and takes the data from both service apartments and the Soho sub-segment to gauge the market’s overall residential overhang status.

After all, it is the combination of the three that is the real market supply in the residential market segment as shown in Figure 2.

In total, the residential overhang eased to 59,321 units valued at Rm42.59bil.

Although compared with a year ago, the number of overhang units and value increased by 3.8% and 2.5% respectively, the overhang situation for the residential segment improved as both the number of units and value dropped by 6.5% and 4.4% respectively compared with six months ago.

Nevertheless, the overhang situation within the high-rise segment (which includes residential high rise, commercial service apartments, and Soho units) remains elevated.

For the 1H22 period, Napic data showed that the overhang data is now at a new record high of 45,502 units against 44,800 units as at end of 2021.

Only in terms of value, the 1H22 figure is relatively flat at Rm33.22bil against Rm33.32bil six months ago.

Overall, this translates to 76.7% of the overall market overhang in volume and almost 78% of the total value.

The overhang situation within the high-rise segment has indeed increased as more than three out of four unsold properties are highrise units.

A steep drop

Figure 2 also shows the property market’s unsold units that are under construction.

From here, one would note that the 1H22 data showed a total of 108,826 units remained unsold valued at Rm60.95bil, down by 12.5% and 9.6% compared with a year ago, and lower by 9.7% and 6.4% when measured against the market’s position six months ago.

With the lower overhang and those under construction, overall, the market saw total unsold properties down to 168,147 units worth some Rm103.54bil.

Compared to a year ago, when the figure was 181,460 units worth Rm108.93bil, the data for 1H22 saw a drop of 7.3% in volume and 4.9% in value respectively.

When compared with the 183.918 units worth Rm109.69bil as at end of 2021, the 1H22 data showed a reduction of 6.4% in volume and 8.6% in value respectively.

For the residential segment by state, the key overhang is located in Kuala Lumpur and the states of Selangor, Johor, and Penang as they account for 59% of total overhang units worth some Rm16.2bil, which translates to 74.5% of the total overhang value in the residential segment.

In terms of price points, properties marketed at above RM500,000 account for 43.4% of the market’s overhang.

For service apartments, Johor, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur are key geographical areas with the most overhang with a total of 96.8% of the segment’s overhang in terms of units and 97.5% in terms of value.

Johor alone accounts for 68% of the segment’s total number of units and nearly 69% of the segment’s total value at Rm13.34bil.

Interestingly, in terms of the number of units, 89% of service apartment overhang in Malaysia are priced at RM500,000 and above, valued at Rm18.36bil, and they represent 95% of the total service apartment overhang valued at Rm19.32bil. As this column has repeatedly highlighted in the past that Malaysia has a serious overhang issue, we are now finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel as the market has now seen a drop in future supply.

For easy reference, the data in Figure 3 for future supply includes starts, incoming supply, planned supply, and planned new supply.

Overall, other than a 34% jump in purpose-built office space to 2.59 million sq m, all other segments are seeing a downtrend in future supply with a reduction in the total number of units by between 8.1% for the industrial segment to as much as 26.2% in future hotel room supplies. The residential, service apartments and the Soho segment saw a reduction of 16.3% in the total number of units to 1.196mil units from 1.430mil units six months ago.

As a percentage of total in-stock, the future supply is lower by between 0.8 percentage points (pps) for the industrial segment to 21.1 pps for the residential segment.

A word of caution though. Despite the reduction in future supplies, the incoming supply for both the service apartment segment and Soho remains significant at 104.4% and 92.8% respectively.

Despite the positives, the property market remains challenging as we are still saddled with a high overhang as well as incoming supply. While the positives are there based on the 1H22 data, it is not time to pop the champagne just yet as it will still take a while (three to five years) for a more positive trend to emerge.

Overall, the Malaysian property market is still up against a massive over-supply situation and prices too are not expected to improve much, as evident from the flattish growth or worse, negative, in the Malaysian HPI.

Given the higher borrowing cost with an increase in the overnight policy rate, homebuyers are expected to remain cautious.

StarBiz PANKAJ U. KUMAR

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The antioxidant story

The columnist believes that antioxidants are nutrients best ingested through a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Are there any benefits to taking antioxidant supplements? the columnist delves into this.

WHILE scientific evidence suggests that ingesting antioxidants in a balanced diet helps in maintaining health and overcoming some diseases, there needs to be some clarifications made, especially regarding antioxidant supplements.

Sales of such supplements are expected to be USD3 billion (RM13.7 billion) this year, rising to over USD4.5 billion (RM20 billion) by 2028, so there is a strong incentive for pharmaceutical companies to keep pushing the sales of antioxidant supplements onto consumers, while at the same carefully omitting to provide two items of significant interest about such supplements.

One is that the costs of producing such supplements are often ridiculously cheap compared to the sale price, hence ensuring that there are substantial profits in continuing to market such supplements.

From a scientific point of view, the other problem is that volumes of research have been extremely inconclusive about the health benefits of taking antioxidant supplements. In some cases, supplements have been linked to higher incidences of diseases; for example, the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) on around 35,000 men found that taking vitamin E supplements hugely increased the risks of contracting prostate cancer among healthy men.

Theory of antioxidants

Free radicals are chemical compounds with free (or unpaired) electrons that are prone to oxidising other molecules, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (fats), and DNA. During this process, free radicals can create more free radicals, precipitating a chain of biological destruction due to “oxidative stress” of damaged molecules. Oxidative stress is linked to many diseases such as lung cancer, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer’s.

For a couple of decades during the last century, antioxidants were deemed to be some sort of miracle compounds, able to diminish the perceived negative effects of free radicals causing oxidative stress within the human body. It is an undoubted fact that severe oxidative damage has been proven to cause cancers and other diseases.

However, the idea that free radicals and the accompanying oxidative stress were always “bad” was probably started in December 1945, based on an article in a ladies’ magazine which Denham Harman had read. Some nine years later, after obtaining a medical degree, Harman had an “epiphany” from “out of the blue” (his own words), and summarily concluded that human aging was caused by oxidative stress damage arising from free radicals in the body, all based on the original 1945 article.

Harman devised experiments on mice which apparently lived longer when fed with antioxidants, though they also suffered negative effects when heavily overdosed with supplements. Other scientists initially thought the theory was plausible and in 1969, Duke University discovered that the body also produced an enzyme called ‘superoxide dismutase’, and suggested it was used to counter the damaging effects of accumulating too many free radicals in the body.

So, all was going swimmingly for Harman and his theory until the 1970s, when other researchers found they could not reproduce the life span enhancing results of Harman’s own experiments on rodents.

Newer experiments in the 1990s proved conclusively that supplemental antioxidants in mice made no difference in their lifespans. These newer experiments involved genetically modifying and adjusting the amount of antioxidant enzymes circulating in the blood, and regardless of the amount of free radicals left in the blood, the life spans of treated and untreated mice did not change.

Even more curious was an experiment done in 2010 by a biologist called Siegfried Hekimi at Mcgill University who bred roundworms to produce higher quantities of free radicals called ‘superoxides’. He had fully expected the modified roundworms to die earlier, but the results found instead that these roundworms lived 32% longer on average compared to normal roundworms with less free radicals in their bodies.

To rub salt into Harman’s wounded theory, Hekimi did another experiment where normal worms were exposed to a toxic weedkiller known to accelerate free radical production in animals. The results were even more surprising than the earlier outcome: worms bred in the toxin lived even longer, around 58% longer than unexposed worms.

And very interestingly, Hekimi found that turning OFF the superoxide dismutase genes in the toxin-exposed worms caused them to return to their normal lifespans. In short, eliminating the effects of antioxidants in the presence of free radicals caused roundworms to live much longer, and applying antioxidants against free radicals caused roundworms to return to their normal lifespans.

Hekimi suggested that superoxides and some other free radicals can act as signalling mechanisms in the worms’ biological systems, spurring the production of genes and other enzymes/compounds which help to repair cellular damage.

If Hekimi is correct, and his idea is currently just as plausible as any other, then it is feasible that some free radicals may prove to be helpful in maintaining health and, in the case of roundworms, also extending their lifespans.

Antioxidants In humans?

Based on recent research over the last few decades, the idea that antioxidants are universally beneficial for humans is clearly incorrect. This is highlighted by other studies. The beta-carotene And Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) involving over 18,000 smokers (and people exposed to asbestos) had to be halted 21 months early in 1996 because subjects ingesting high doses of beta-carotene and Vitamin A had a very significant 28% increase in the incidence of lung cancers.

This confirmed the earlier findings of a Finnish study on over 29,000 smokers who also developed an 18% increase in lung cancer rates after ingesting antioxidant supplements. In both studies, the main culprit appears to be beta-carotene.

Do antioxidants work in humans?

The answer is complicated. One reason is that we only know about a very, very few number of compounds which have been determined to contain some antioxidation properties. As an example, fresh strawberries contain vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant.

The fruits also contain plant compounds such as polyphenols (e.g., proanthocyanins and flavonoids), which are antioxidants in their own right, but importantly also have other chemical properties, mostly unknown currently. Therefore, a simple assumption that taking a vitamin C pill is as healthy as eating fruits is completely ignoring the interactions of vitamin C with polyphenols within the body.

Another issue is the assumption that supplemental antioxidant pills are absorbed in exactly the same manner as antioxidants in natural foods. There are many other compounds in foods, including dietary fibres, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, other chemicals, etc, which may be required for the proper uptake and processing of antioxidants by the body. Also, there is evidence that overdosing on some antioxidant supplements can turn them into disease-causing agents.

Importantly, recent studies have shown that the connection between free radicals and health may be much more complex than previously thought. Modern research indicates that some free radicals may actually be beneficial rather than harmful, and therefore eliminating them indiscriminately may be undesirable, though we are currently uncertain as to which free radicals may prove useful.

Human cells already contain antioxidant enzymes which help reduce free radical levels. The primary antioxidant enzymes used by human cells are superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase. From various metabolic processes, the body also produces secondary antioxidants such as lipoic acid, glutathione, coenzyme Q10, melatonin, uric acid, L-arginine, metal-chelating proteins, bilirubin, and transferrin.

The known antioxidants which the human body cannot produce, and which must come from the diet, are vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins, selenium, manganese, zinc, Omega-3, and Omega-6 fats. Humans can produce a certain amount of vitamin D via sunlight, but this capacity is reduced as we age. Flavonoids can also be included on the list, although they are not critical for health.

Summary

Around 52% of Americans take antioxidant supplements of some kind. In general, pharmaceutical companies like selling them as such products usually do no or little harm, and they are very profitable.

In summary, antioxidants are nutrients which are best ingested via varied, healthy diets with at least five different types of vegetables and fruits daily. Selective supplemental nutrients may also be helpful due to personal circumstances. For example, I take vitamin D drops in the seasons when there is reduced sunlight in the region, and they are always taken with proper meals.-

By CHRIS Chan

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

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Bubbles Should Be In Your Drink, Not Your Urine

The enzyme that could help 700 million people with chronic kidney disease

One in every 10 Malaysian adults suffers from kidney disease.

In Malaysia, one in 10 adults suffers from chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease is defined as abnormalities to the kidney structure or function for more than three months.

Dr Go Kuan Weng from KPJ Hospital Ipoh shared that chronic kidney disease is more common than one would think.

However, not many are aware of the risk factors and implications it has on their lives.

Dealing with the underlying issue

When a patient is diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, the first step in preventing further deterioration of kidney function is to manage the underlying cause.

The top causes of chronic kidney disease in Malaysia are diabetes and hypertension.

According to Dr Loo Chee Yean from Sri Kota Medical Centre in Klang, Selangor, if blood sugar and hypertension are under control in the early stages of chronic kidney disease, kidney failure can be delayed.

Eating your way to healthier kidneys

Other than the use of medication to manage blood pressure and blood sugar levels, chronic kidney disease patients will need lifestyle changes.

One of these changes is the adoption of a low-protein, kidney-friendly diet.

Patients who adopt a low protein diet will need to only consume about 600mg of protein per kg body weight a day.

Dr Loo shares that numerous studies have shown adoption of a low protein diet can delay chronic kidney disease from advancing to kidney failure.

Dr Chiew Yeong Woei from Hospital Lam Wah Ee in Georgetown, Penang, adds that chronic kidney disease patients should consult a dietitian to learn how to identify and calculate the protein they consume.

Delaying progression with keto acid therapy

The main goal of treating chronic kidney disease is to delay its progression and prevent the need for dialysis.

Management typically consists of medication to treat the underlying cause of chronic kidney disease, and lifestyle modifications such as adoption of a low protein diet to reduce the kidney's workload.

Medical experts also recommend the use of keto acid therapy in chronic kidney disease management.

Keto acid therapy is the use of special compounds known as ketoanalogues to help delay the progression of kidney disease.

In the study Do Ketoanalogues Still Have a Role in Delaying Dialysis Initiation in CKD Predialysis Patients? from the Seminars in Dialysis journal, incorporation of keto acid therapy in the management of chronic kidney disease was shown to be able to delay the progression of the disease, and in turn, delay the onset of kidney failure and the need for dialysis.

In addition, this therapy is safe and reliable when used properly.

To understand how keto acid therapy works, one must know what ketoanalogues are.

Ketoanalogues are nitrogen-free versions of essential amino acids.

Incorporation of keto acid therapy reduces the burden on the kidneys as it converts the nitrogenous waste into essential amino acids via the process of transamination.

This in turn provides the body with the nutrients it needs to function well, explains Dr Chew Thian Fook from KPJ Hospital Seremban.

Besides, acidosis in the body will be reduced and can help patients feel better with improved appetite through the reduction of nitrogenous waste.

For more information, call 03-7957 2929.

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Foamy Urine A Potential Sign Of Kidney ..

thestar.com.my

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/health/2021/03/21/foamy-urine-a-potential-sign-of-kidney-problem

Foamy Urine A Potential Sign Of Kidney ...

thestar.com.my