Obesity in East Asia

The worldwide prevalence of obesity has increased over the last several decades. Because of differences in the way obesity is defined, especially abdominal obesity, a direct comparison of obesity prevalence may not be appropriate between Asian countries and others. Despite the different definitions of obesity, the obesity epidemic is also observed in the countries in East Asia in parallel with marked environmental and lifestyle changes. This review focuses on the recent trends of general and abdominal obesity in East Asian countries – China, Japan, South Korea (Republic of Korea), and Taiwan. In addition to data on the obesity epidemic, a large body of evidence related to normal-weight individuals with “metabolic obesity” has been reported in East Asian countries. This phenotype is important from a public health perspective because Asian populations are more likely to develop increased visceral adiposity and insulin resistance compared with other populations with the same level of body mass index (BMI). Moreover, a “healthy obesity” state described in various populations may not be the case in East Asian populations. We will review the epidemiological and clinical implications of these phenotypes in the populations of East Asian countries.