zurnmedley
New member
@bubblegum2021 No one was body shaming her for a 23" waist?
Why Asians are overweight/obese at lower BMIs
- Thread starter godisveryreal
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- petite fitness
forwhatitsworth
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@godisveryreal This post is the perfect example of why representation matters everywhere, but especially in medicine.
hungry_hungry_hippo
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@forwhatitsworth My psychiatrist is an asian woman and told me something like a lot of mental health diagnoses are measured against the behavior of white society, specifically cis white males. I can see the medical society in general is the same since in western society, I assume most docs were cis white males so a lot of studies etc revolve around them.
I was going in for depression and anxiety.
Prior to her, I went for ADHD, but because I did well in school, my last doctors disagreed I had it. After I got treatment for my ADHD both my depression and anxiety lessened, this entire time that was the cause but all these years doctors have told me it’s just depression and anxiety.
But of course I couldn’t have had ADHD because I did well in school. Well… it’s hard to not do well in school when you have the stereotypical Asian parents who accept nothing less than an A.
I was going in for depression and anxiety.
Prior to her, I went for ADHD, but because I did well in school, my last doctors disagreed I had it. After I got treatment for my ADHD both my depression and anxiety lessened, this entire time that was the cause but all these years doctors have told me it’s just depression and anxiety.
But of course I couldn’t have had ADHD because I did well in school. Well… it’s hard to not do well in school when you have the stereotypical Asian parents who accept nothing less than an A.
@hungry_hungry_hippo It's actually specifically cis white male college students, because they're the easiest cohort to study (research is conducted by university professors), so pretty much all we 'know' about society and humans is based on what educated, middle-class, 18-24 year-old white men in the Global North are doing.
@hungry_hungry_hippo Yeah women in general are also better at masking ADHD symptoms. And then there’s just a bias toward girls with ADHD symptoms seen as simply being a disappointing hot mess that need to try harder.
@forwhatitsworth Asians don’t even have a sizable body composition data compared to other ethnicities. I discovered this while giving someone their dexa scan results. That whole section that’s supposed to give them a comparison of their results to the general group of a similar ethnicity, height, and weight is completely empty. They looked disappointed but not surprised at all. I was surprised.
It’s even worse of POC women. Women are already underrepresented in medicine.
It’s even worse of POC women. Women are already underrepresented in medicine.
criminallawyer
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@forwhatitsworth I'm so glad people are bringing this up here. A lot of people like to claim that they "don't see color" in things like medicine. But it does have a place. And acknowledging those similarities or differences in our heritage that can impact our health is not discriminatory. Cultural sensitivity is important!!
arcticwind
New member
@godisveryreal Does this also include south Asians as even at a healthy bmi I have a lot of belly and arm fat and barely any muscle
@arcticwind It definitely does, unfortunately. There’s a doctor on Tiktok who explain this perfectly:
In fact, his entire account is dedicated to teaching people about how South Asians’ bodies are different than non-South Asians.
In fact, his entire account is dedicated to teaching people about how South Asians’ bodies are different than non-South Asians.
hungry_hungry_hippo
New member
@rachlaure Is there an equivalent for East asians? I’m mixed with both south and east so curious what the difference is. I definitely notice that my body naturally was SO underdeveloped with zero muscle and my white friends would have the same lifestyle/diet and just naturally look more “fit”. Didn’t know this was part of our genes
@arcticwind Absolutely includes South Asians.
Short version: the British were the worst colonizers ever. Under the British Raj India suffered famine after famine. $45 trillion dollars of wealth was stolen from India and there were 31 major famines. South Asians became starvation adapted, so the body began to hold onto vital fat stores to survive. This increase in visceral fat is partially also why South Asians are so prone to diabetes because of insulin resistance.
That's a really surface level explanation, but it's quite fascinating to learn about.
Short version: the British were the worst colonizers ever. Under the British Raj India suffered famine after famine. $45 trillion dollars of wealth was stolen from India and there were 31 major famines. South Asians became starvation adapted, so the body began to hold onto vital fat stores to survive. This increase in visceral fat is partially also why South Asians are so prone to diabetes because of insulin resistance.
That's a really surface level explanation, but it's quite fascinating to learn about.
arcticwind
New member
@godisveryreal Thank you for this context. It felt like it was a bunch of 
️ people taking personal offense at her doctor’s assessment with 0 consideration for the context. Unfortunately policing a teenager’s language (that’s already been culturally ingrained) isn’t the revolutionary act they think it is. It’s not going to dismantle fatphobic structures in Asia or anywhere else. And internalizing her medically influenced description of her teenaged self isn’t going to make things better for any of us in this sub.
I’m not here to say whether this information is valid or true or not, but attacking a kid bc the info her doctor gave her made you feel bad when you can ignore the post is crazy.
️ people taking personal offense at her doctor’s assessment with 0 consideration for the context. Unfortunately policing a teenager’s language (that’s already been culturally ingrained) isn’t the revolutionary act they think it is. It’s not going to dismantle fatphobic structures in Asia or anywhere else. And internalizing her medically influenced description of her teenaged self isn’t going to make things better for any of us in this sub.I’m not here to say whether this information is valid or true or not, but attacking a kid bc the info her doctor gave her made you feel bad when you can ignore the post is crazy.
@godisveryreal I believe it. I have lots of aunts who look in shape that have heart problems/diabetes/etc.
vwprincessuk
New member
@lilyb2008 hmm. a lot of asian women, may be slim but might not be fit. thats my opinion. all my aunts try to mostly rely on diet. they are not physically strong. truth is we need fitness all around, not too much, not too little. just enough and a good diet. good sleep. happy family.
corintiano
New member
@godisveryreal Bone density and muscle. Same reason why people with Scandinavian or Viking heritage can look underweight at a “normal” BMI or look healthy at an “overweight” BMI.
thanksbetogod
New member
@godisveryreal Just wanted to say thank you for posting this!
godisveryreal
New member
@thanksbetogod You’re welcome!
@godisveryreal Also wanted to add that the reason why Asians have diseases at a lower bmi is because they tend to hold their weight in their abdomen, which is unhealthy compared to carrying your weight in other places.
This also technically applies to Hispanics with significant Native American! Lots of us carry our weights in our abdomen too and we can also get diseases at a lower bmi. I had high blood pressure at 122 lbs at 5’1!
This also technically applies to Hispanics with significant Native American! Lots of us carry our weights in our abdomen too and we can also get diseases at a lower bmi. I had high blood pressure at 122 lbs at 5’1!