VITAGEN Celebrates 40 Years of Digestive Care

When I was a little girl, my mom used to give me VITAGEN to drink and I loved the taste. My mom told me that VITAGEN has good bacteria which is good for my digestive system and gut. This is my favorite brand of cultured milk until today and I always buy VITAGEN for my children to drink.

VITAGEN is Malaysia's first and no. 1 cultured drink. VITAGEN celebrates its 40th anniversary with the campaign 'A Better Gut Begins With VITAGEN'. This campaign is as an extension of the brand’s far-reaching digestive health education and awareness initiative.

From left to right - Pn. Nordina Baharom, Mr. Michael Ong, Mr. Poh Eng Lip, Ms. Yap Jay Oueen

VITAGEN contains billions of good bacteria with live, active cultures of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei. This formulation helps aid the absorption of nutrients from food and stimulates a stronger immune system. It also assists in suppressing the growth of harmful bacteria, reducing the risk of intestinal disturbances for optimal digestive health when consumed.

Good gut health is increasingly important as Malaysians face health challenges linked to sedentary lifestyles, stress and increasing consumption of fast food that may be low in fibre and low in good bacteria.

Studies have shown that gut health is linked to obesity. Malaysia has the dubious distinction of being among the fattest countries in the region 1 . The prevalence of adults who are overweight is up to 30%. Obese Malaysians make up 17.7% of the total population. This combination means that almost half the country’s population are either overweight or obese.

Diseases of the digestive system, or gut, are listed as among the 10 principal causes of hospitalisation (9.14%) and death (3.81%) in private hospitals, while colorectal cancer is ranked as the second most common cancer among Malaysians 6 at a high 12.1%.

Many ailments including stress, seemingly unrelated to the human digestive system are caused by gut problems. Understanding how the gut works and how to care for it is essential to overall wellbeing.
VITAGEN has been expanding its efforts to promote good gut health to Malaysians through on-going campaigns and activities aimed at creating awareness and forming healthy lifestyle habits about the importance of good gut health.

For Malaysians who want a healthier choice of reduced sugar and collagen variants, there is the VITAGEN less sugar variant which was recently awarded the Healthier Choice logo under the Ministry of Health.

VITAGEN’s General Manager, Mr. Poh Eng Lip said, “Malaysians need to get healthy. This year, we are employing different strategies and approaches because the traditional discourse of, ‘don’t do this or that because it is bad for you’ does not work with the younger generation.”

VITAGEN has been championing digestive care for the past 40 years through its popular school programmes, collaborations with organisations such as Digestive Health Malaysia and the Nutrition Society of Malaysia as well as sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events, among others.

VITAGEN’s campaign in conjunction with its 40 th anniversary shows the positive correlation between good gut health and overall wellbeing through three key areas namely, improved immunity, greater mental clarity and a more balanced mood.

Sharing some of the brand’s plans to make good gut health more compelling to Malaysians, in line with VITAGEN’s 40 th anniversary campaign, Mr. Poh added, “We have an exciting year ahead for VITAGEN. The events and activities surrounding our outreach are backed by research that better gut health improves overall wellbeing.”

“To engage the new generation of digital natives, VITAGEN is moving into more engaging strategies such as interactive multimedia and a nationwide roadshow with interactive components that will take the Malaysian public on a journey into our digestive system. As the good gut health expert, VITAGEN believes good health starts from the gut,” Mr. Poh said in closing.

For further information about VITAGEN and its campaign “A Better Gut Begins with VITAGEN”, please visit their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VITAGENMalaysia, or website: www.vitagen.com.my.