Obesity experts are calling for changes in the way that weight-related health risks are measured in Asians. Asians are at a particularly high-risk of developing weight-related disorders. Because of this, experts say that the Body Mass Index (BMI) needs to be recalculated as it is currently based on western criteria. In the west a BMI of 23-24 is normal, however in Asians a BMI of 23 or more means that they are at increased risk of obesity-related diseases such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and diabetes. If the World Health Organization (WHO) takes the recommendation on board it would add another half billion people to current estimates of the world’s overweight population, thus pushing the number of people in the world who are classed as overweight or obese to a staggering 1.7-billion.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 17th March 2003
