July 10, 2002 SINGAPORE (AP) -- Some Asians who seem healthy - by current global standards - may actually be carrying too much fat and could be in danger of obesity-related diseases, health experts said Wednesday at a conference in Singapore.
Asians tend to weigh less and look thinner than Caucasians, but they carry relatively more body fat, experts said. So, a glance in the mirror may not reveal the risk of weight-related health problems such as high blood pressure.
"We are fatter, even though we look slim," said Mabel Yap, a research scientist currently working with Singapore's Health Promotion Board.
Yap said that while Singapore has very few obese people - less than 6 percent at the last survey in 1998 - the Southeast Asian nation has incidences of stroke, cancer, and heart disease equivalent to Western countries.
International experts, mostly officials with the World Health Organization, were in Singapore this week for a four-day meeting on whether the WHO should continue to measure obesity in Asians by the same standard as Caucasians or other race groups.
Using the same global standard has "made things simple," said Shiriki Kumanyika, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.
But that approach is proving too inexact, and possibly dangerous, the experts said.
"Some countries, like India, have extremely high obesity-related risk at levels of weight where you would not expect it," said Kumanyika.
Yap said Asians have less muscle and more fat than their western counterparts - so using an Asian's fat ratio, rather than just weight, might be a better way to measure health risks.
The location of body fat is also important, the experts said.
"Just a small amount of fat, especially around the midsection, poses a powerful risk," said Kumanyika.
The WHO now measures obesity using a Body Mass Index, calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in meters.
By this standard, a woman who is 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters) tall and weighs 68.5 kilograms (151 pounds) would be considered overweight. A woman of the same height who weighs 83 kilograms (183 pounds) would be considered obese.
The experts said many Asian countries may have to adopt revised standards for healthy weight.
Indonesia has already adopted a lower height to weight ratio to define obesity, said Paul Durenberg, a World Health Organization nutrition consultant. Other countries could soon follow suit, he said.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
