Idea Study - Obesity in Asians

IDEA (International Day for the Evaluation of Abdominal Obesity) is a study, funded by Sanofi A, to study the incedence of obesity, in Asia, and compared with Europans also the inceidence of heart disease. The results were presented at the ongoing World Congress of Cardiology. The researches studied the waistline of 30,783 Asians, and compared it with the waistline of 20,582 Europeans. Asians in this study included subjects from South Asia (India & Pakistan), East Asia (China, Korea & Taiwan) and South East Asia. The waistline for obesity was, for Asians 90cm for men, 80 for women. For Europeans, the corresponding number was 94cm for men and 80cm for women.

The surprising result was that obesity was more prevalent in Asia, especially in South Asia. There, they were about the same incidence or higher than the Europeans. The SE Asians were the least obese. It was perhaps surprising, that the incidence of cardiovascular disease was higher in Asia. The abdominal waistline was a good predictor of T2DM and CVS disease, in females. It is very interesting to know that we SE Asians are the least obese. What is the reason for the large waistline in the Indian subcontinent? Could it be the roti canai or the teh tarik or is it all genetics. I must certainly say that diet has alot to do with it. Looks like it is probably a mixture between genetic susceptibility and diet. What ever it be, we in SE Asia, should begin to get our waist line down with good cardiovacular diet and exercise. Diabetes and CVS disease is much better prevented than cured.