Why Asians are overweight/obese at lower BMIs

[yaqing]

@dawn16 I'm not Asian, but African American. 4'11" @ 153 lbs and 32F. I'm obese for my height and my bf% is well over 35%. It is not healthy and getting that handled in a healthy way to prevent disease and eating/working out based on our physical conditions matter. Health and quality of life declines fast if you're not at a healthier weight/bf % for one's height.

 

[lillyfuzz]

@godisveryreal Look at the diabetes rate in Thailand and China and you will get the point.

 

[dikaioumenoi]

@godisveryreal Also Asians have lower bone density which is another factor why we have lower bmi cutoffs!

 

[bubblegum2021]

@godisveryreal OP was also underaged and, afaik, for teenagers/children percentiles rather than BMI is used. Also, people body shaming her for a 23" waist were disgusting.

 

[wt15]

@bubblegum2021 It did make me feel a little bit self conscious because after reading all of the comments, I thought that maybe I have slimmed down too much or that 23 inches was not healthy anymore but i’m glad that I am still in the healthy range

 

[bubblegum2021]

@wt15 My point is healthy range is not determined by a waist measurement. Please talk to your doctor and stop listening to nobodies on the internet (that includes me).

 

[marylouise]

@bubblegum2021 I see what you’re trying to say, but waist to hip ratio is actually pretty well accepted (and hopefully moving toward favored) way of assessing women’s health risk status.

 

[penny7]

@bubblegum2021 If OP's doctor was concerned about the development of diabetes (which is probably the primary concern of Asians since it has such a high prevalence in our ethnicity due to diet and genetic background), then oftentimes they look at both BMI and waist circumference to assess the risk factor since a high waist circumference is associated with a higher level of visceral fat which is associated with a higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Granted, there are structural changes that happen with age and hormonal changes, childbirth, etc. which affect our waist circumference, so there shouldn't be a hard and fast number to hit or a race to the bottom, but it's not completely unfounded to use it as a combined metric with BMI when talking about health.

 

[bubblegum2021]

@penny7 That's not what I was saying. I was merely pointing out that a 16 year old child should not be basing her health determination on a waist measurement or on the opinions of random people on reddit. I think this is truly detrimental for her mental health.

 

[daniela85]

@bubblegum2021 I agree with you and you shouldn’t be so downvoted. It goes both directions—people shouldn’t have gone so hard on OP for her first post, nor should they be whipsawing so far back in the other direction. 16 year olds are still growing and should consult medical professionals about diet and weight concerns. I grew an inch in college. Seems like OP got some feedback from her doctor so I hope she has all the resources she needs.

It is on forums like this one that people develop EDs. 16 is very early to be engaging with the content on this sub—a not insignificant portion of which is genuinely dysmorphic and harmful

 

[wt15]

@bubblegum2021 Yes I already have She said that I am much healthier and fit than before!

 

[seraph159]

@wt15 Doctors are deeply fatphobic and mistreat fat people all the time. Literally, they won't even diagnose them when they have real issues. So, do what makes you happy. A waist number number doesn't define health, you can be thin and unhealthy. Also, weight fluctuates over a lifetime, what I weighed 3 years ago I don't weigh today. And what I weigh today I might not weight next year. Or next month! To attach weight to health isn't accurate.

Just remember: "healthy" is a huge scale depending on a dozens of factors including genetics, weight, gender, race, culture and so much more. Where people land on that scale varies wildly. I promise, if your waist changes to 27 inches someday you will still be healthy!