AsianScientist (Jul. 29, 2011) – A study by researchers at McMaster University has found that while some ethnic groups just add fat to their waistline, others add dangerous fat onto their internal organs like their liver.
The Molecular Study of Health and Risk in Ethnic Groups (mol-SHARE) study was led by Dr. Sonia Anand, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at McMaster University. Their findings were published yesterday in the journal PLoS ONE.
In the study, the researchers found that South Asians are particularly prone to adding the type of organ-hugging fat that can lead to diabetes and coronary artery disease.
“The new study showed South Asians have less space to store fat below the skin than white Caucasians,” said Anand. “Their excess fat, therefore, overflows to ectopic compartments, in the abdomen and liver where it may affect function.”
This visceral fat, she added, is associated with metabolic problems such as elevated glucose and abnormal lipids, both of which are risk factors which ultimately lead to coronary artery disease.
According to Mary Lewis, vice-president, research, advocacy and health promotion of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, many Canadians of South Asian descent – as well as those of Aboriginal, African, and Chinese descent – are experiencing historic levels of risk for heart disease and stroke.
Dr. Arya Sharma, director of the Canadian Obesity Network and a co-author of the study said that this may help medical professionals to screen for potential problems even in patients with lower BMIs.
“This study helps explain why South Asians experience weight-related health problems at lower BMI levels than Caucasians,” said Sharma. “For the clinician, this also means that individuals of South Asian heritage need to be screened for the presence of heart disease and diabetes at lower BMIs,” he said.
The article can be found at: Anand SS et al. (2011) Adipocyte Hypertrophy, Fatty Liver and Metabolic Risk Factors in South Asians: The Molecular Study of Health and Risk in Ethnic Groups (mol-SHARE).
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Source: McMaster University.
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