| Everyone knows that carrying extra body fat is a | | | | fat of which you are oblivious to. |
| potential time bomb by increasing the risks of getting | | | | As a fitness personal trainer, it is not uncommon that |
| heart diseases, stroke and certain types of cancers. | | | | when I measure body fat of my Asian clients who |
| These are potential killer diseases. By keeping your | | | | do not look fat physically, their body fat ratio are |
| body fat down, these diseases may be avoided and | | | | high. |
| even prevented. | | | | According to Dr Mabel Yap, Deputy Director of the |
| One of the most popular methods of measuring | | | | Department of Nutrition, Ministry of Health, |
| whether one is overweight is by using the Body Mass | | | | Singapore, ethnic differences in BMI values have |
| Index or BMI calculation. The formula for calculating | | | | important public health implications as they imply that |
| BMI is:- | | | | cut-off points for obesity should be lower or higher in |
| ?Body weight in kilograms (pounds) divided by height | | | | different ethnic groups. "Lowering the cut-off point |
| in metres (ft) squared. | | | | from 30 to 27 in Singapore, for example, would |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends | | | | double the prevalence of obesity," she said. |
| that a BMI measurement above 25 indicates that a | | | | In a study, the School of Physical Education of the |
| person is overweight and a BMI measurement over | | | | National Institute of Education, Singapore and |
| 30 indicates that he is obese. | | | | Wageningen University of Netherlands found that |
| However, is this calculation accurate? The BMI | | | | body built of a person does affect the BMI calculation |
| recommendation by WHO was based on studies | | | | of various ethnic groups. This result was further |
| done largely on Caucasians. Thus the BMI | | | | confirmed by other studies in Thailand and Indonesia. |
| recommendation by WHO may be an accurate | | | | As commonly known, BMI calculation is not accurate |
| indication of obesity on an average Caucasian. There | | | | for muscular people (muscles are heavier than fat) |
| are now findings to suggest that people of Asian and | | | | and now, it may also not be accurate across the |
| African origins have a significantly higher percentage | | | | board for all ethnic groups. For a start, Asians and |
| of body fat compared to Caucasians although they | | | | Africans may want to define their BMI results as |
| may look slimmer than their Caucasian counterparts. | | | | being overweight if it is above 23 and obese if above |
| Therein lays the danger. If you are an Asian or an | | | | 27. |
| African, you may look slim but may carry extra body | | | | |