Why Asians are overweight/obese at lower BMIs

@cordereko First of all, the ADA didn’t cite any studies for that particular article. It’s aimed at laypersons, but still. I had wanted to pull the source for that point but since it isn’t cited, on to my next point.

Yes, family history and genetics also play a role. But the studies done using a US population that led to these conclusions likely contained a large population of White and African American people and a small number of Asian people, because Asian people make up a smaller amount of the US population and are thus often underrepresented in studies. If you look at any for example any studies that lead to treatment guidelines, you’ll find a large % of White and African American people were studied. So they created this premise based on data that doesn’t apply to OP.

Studies that have stratified data by race have instead found worse health outcomes for Asians at the same BMI, and the development of weight-related problems at lower BMIs, compared to other races.

ETA: The OP doesn’t live in the US, so general statements from an American organization regarding an American population does not apply to her.

The study I linked in the post is one of the only large-scale studies conducted in the US that actually included enough Asian people to be able to make conclusions about them compared to other races.
 
@cordereko You could have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to your genetics. For example, East and South Asians are genetically predisposed to storing fat viscerally which increases you risk for developing type 2 diabetes. This risk can be mitigated by making healthier lifestyle (eating healthy and exercising).

The fact that asians carry fat viscerally is why healthy BMI ranges are lower, because even at what is considered “healthy” for non-asians, we are still at an increased risk of developing diabetes.
 
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