KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- More Malaysians are suffering from heart disease which has aroused worries of the country's health authorities.

    The Malaysian Health Ministry expects the number of new cases of heart disease to reach about 38,000 each year, with a larger proportion of young people, the New Straits Times reported on Monday, quoting the country's health minister Liow Tiong Lai.

    The number of new heart attacks is much closing to that of cancer, which is about 40,000 every year, said Liow.

    He noted that about 16.5 percent of the deaths in government hospitals last year was caused by heart disease.

    Liow urged Malaysians to adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle to keep away from heart problems, saying the cause of the mounting new cases is still under investigation.