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World's
Overweight/Obese Estimated at 1.7 Billion
A
BMI of more than 30 indicates obesity.
Medical experts called for a new assessment of how weight-related
health risks in Asians are measured which could push up the number
of overweight and obese people worldwide to 1.7 billion.
The
new figure, which would be 50% higher than current estimates--is
based on recommendations to lower the threshold for Asians because
of their special vulnerability to weight-related disorders.
Professor
Philip James, the chairman of the London-based International
Obesity TaskForce (IOTF), said body mass index (BMI) is based on
western criteria and needs to be adjusted for Asians.
"The
point of reducing the values is that it will be an altering point
which you give to both the public and doctors," James said in
an interview.
Health
experts have suggested a lower BMI scale for Asians because of
evidence showing their risk of obesity-related diseases such as
high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and developing diabetes
rises if their BMI is more than 23. In the west a BMI of 23-24 is
normal.
By
lowering the threshold doctors will become aware of potential
risks and will be more likely to advise patients to take measures
to reduce their weight.
"There
is a wide spectrum of risk factors related to obesity, which when
viewed as a whole, have a tremendous impact on health," said
James.
A
BMI of more than 30 indicates obesity but where the excess fat is
accumulating is also important. Abdominal obesity is a problem in
Asia and poses more health risks than fat in the thighs and legs.
So
an individual can be quite compact but still suffer the
weight-related health risks if all of the fat is centred on the
abdomen.
"The
problem of abdominal obesity seems to be particularly marked in
Asia. In other words you can be relatively, modestly plump but you
selectively accumulate the fat in the abdomen," James
explained. "When it is there it amplifies the risk."
James
and members of a World Health Organization expert group are
calling for the WHO to do a formal assessment of how the criteria
work in different societies. Lowering the benchmark would add
another half billion to current estimates of the world's
overweight population.
James
warned that the impact on health of the escalating obesity
epidemic could overtake that of tobacco.
"It
is clear that extreme forms of obesity are rising even faster than
the overall epidemic and we are witnessing a real health tragedy
unfolding," he said.
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