Skip to main content
Log in

The metabolic syndrome in the Asian population

  • Published:
Current Hypertension Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the rapid emergence of obesity in Asia, the metabolic syndrome is becoming a clinically important issue. The studies on migrants from Asian countries to Western countries indicate that Asian populations may be more susceptible to the Western diet and lifestyle than whites in developing the metabolic syndrome. The World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Consultation recently reported that the cut-off point for observed risk in Asian populations may be smaller than that for non-Asian populations, varying from 22 kg/m2 to 25 kg/m2. This variant susceptibility may be caused by gene-environmental interactions and low birth weight in Asian populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References and Recommended Reading

  1. Executive Summary of The Third Report of The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol In Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA 2001, 285:2486–2497. Report on the latest criteria of the metabolic syndrome in the United States.

  2. The Examination Committee of Criteria for ‘Obesity Disease’ in Japan, Japan Society for the Study of Obesity: New criteria for ‘obesity disease’ in Japan. Circ J 2002, 66:987–992. Report on recommended criteria for obesity disease in Japan. Criteria of waist circumference for abdominal obesity were determined by the threshold of visceral fat area, examined by CT, which is well correlated with metabolic disorders.

  3. Matsuzawa Y, Shimomura I, Nakamura T, et al.: Pathophysiology and pathogenesis of visceral fat obesity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1993, 676:270–278.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Ministry of Health Law, Japan: The National Nutrition Survey in Japan, 2002. Tokyo: Dai-ichi Shuppan Publishing; 2004. (in Japanese)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Jia WP, Xiang KS, Chen L, et al.: Epidemiological study on obesity and its comorbidities in urban Chinese older than 20 years of age in Shanghai, China. Obes Rev 2002, 3:157–165. Large-scale epidemiologic study on anthropometric parameters and metabolic data in urban Chinese.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ke-You G, Da-Wei F: The magnitude and trends of under- and over-nutrition in Asian countries. Biomed Environ Sci 2001, 14:53–60.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Misra A, Vikram NK: Insulin resistance syndrome (metabolic syndrome) and obesity in Asian Indians: evidence and implications. Nutrition 2004, 20:482–491.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Patel S, Unwin N, Bhopal R, et al.: A comparison of proxy measures of abdominal obesity in Chinese, European and South Asian adults. Diabet Med 1999, 16:853–860.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lauderdale DS, Rathouz PJ: Body mass index in a US national sample of Asian Americans: effects of nativity, years since immigration and socioeconomic status. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000, 24:1188–1194.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Freire RD, Cardoso MA, Shinzato AR, Ferreira SR: Nutritional status of Japanese-Brazilian subjects: comparison across gender and generation. Br J Nutr 2003, 89:705–713. Reports on anthropometric and metabolic parameters in migrants. Effects of Westernization of diet on these parameters are reported in detail.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Araneta MR, Wingard DL, Barrett-Connor E: Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Filipina-American women: a high-risk nonobese population. Diabetes Care 2002, 25:494–499. Clear evidence showing the high susceptibility to diabetes and the metabolic syndrome in migrants of Asian even in the similar extent of obesity compared with Caucasian.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Pedro MR, Barba CV: Nutritional issues and status of older persons of the Philippines: the IUNS, CRONOS and other studies. J Nutr Health Aging 2001, 5:92–96.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Neel JV: Diabetes mellitus: a “thrifty” genotype rendered detrimental by “progress“? Am J Hum Genet 1962, 14:353–362.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Shimamoto K: Epidemiologic study on metabolic syndrome —comparison between Japan and western countries. Nippon Rinsho 2004, 62:1053–1058. (in Japanese)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. McCance DR, Pettitt DJ, Hanson RL, et al.: Birth weight and non-insulin dependent diabetes: thrifty genotype, thrifty phenotype, or surviving small baby genotype? BMJ 1994, 308:942–945.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Barker DJ, Hales CN, Fall CH, et al.: Type 2 (non-insulindependent) diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (syndrome X): relation to reduced fetal growth. Diabetologia 1993, 36:62–67.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ota T, Takamura T, Hirai N, Kobayashi K: Preobesity in World Health Organization classification involves the metabolic syndrome in Japanese. Diabetes Care 2002, 25:1252–1253.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. WHO: Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic: report on a WHO consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3–5 June, 1997. In WHO/NUT/NCD/981 Technical Report Series Number 894. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  19. WHO Expert Consultation: Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet 2004, 363:157–163. Report on survey on BMI in Asian population. The consultation proposed intervention strategies for public health with specific action points of BMI in Asian countries.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Hayashi T, Boyko EJ, Leonetti DL, et al.: Visceral adiposity and the prevalence of hypertension in Japanese Americans. Circulation 2003, 108:1718–1723.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Lee WY, Park JS, Noh SY, et al.: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among 40,698 Korean metropolitan subjects. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2004, 65:143–149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Tan CE, Ma S, Wai D, et al.: Can we apply the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel definition of the metabolic syndrome to Asians? Diabetes Care 2004, 27:1182–1186.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kim MH, Kim MK, Choi BY, Shin YJ: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its association with cardiovascular diseases in Korea. J Korean Med Sci 2004, 19:195–201.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Nakanishi N, Nishina K, Okamoto M, et al.: Clustering of components of the metabolic syndrome and risk for development of type 2 diabetes in Japanese male office workers. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2004, 63:185–194. One of very few cohort studies in Asia on prognosis of the metabolic syndrome.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Lakka HM, Laaksonen DE, Lakka TA, et al.: The metabolic syndrome and total and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged men. JAMA 2002, 288:2709–2716.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Anuurad E, Shiwaku K, Nogi A, et al.: The new BMI criteria for Asians by the regional office for the Western pacific region of WHO are suitable for screening of overweight to prevent metabolic syndrome in elder Japanese workers. J Occup Health 2003, 45:335–343.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Chen CH, Lin KC, Tsai ST, Chou P: Different association of hypertension and insulin-related metabolic syndrome between men and women in 8437 nondiabetic Chinese. Am J Hypertens 2000, 13:846–853.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Tan CE, Tai ES, Tan CS, et al.: APOE polymorphism and lipid profile in three ethnic groups in the Singapore population. Atherosclerosis 2003, 170:253–260.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Okosun IS, Liao Y, Rotimi CN, et al.: Abdominal adiposity and clustering of multiple metabolic syndrome in White, Black and Hispanic americans. Ann Epidemiol 2000, 10:263–270.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wang YY, Lin SY, Liu PH, et al.: Association between hematological parameters and metabolic syndrome components in a Chinese population. J Diabetes Complications 2004, 18:322–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Al-Lawati JA, Mohammed AJ, Al-Hinai HQ, Jousilahti P: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among Omani adults. Diabetes Care 2003, 26:1781–1785.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Anand SS, Yi Q, Gerstein H, et al.: Relationship of metabolic syndrome and fibrinolytic dysfunction to cardiovascular disease. Circulation 2003, 108:420–425.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rakugi, H., Ogihara, T. The metabolic syndrome in the Asian population. Current Science Inc 7, 103–109 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-005-0082-4

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-005-0082-4

Keywords

Navigation