Abstract
The purpose of this cross-sectional observational study was to identify ethnic differences in body composition and obesity-related risk factors between Chinese and white males living in China. 115 Chinese and 114 white male pilots aged 28–63 years were recruited. Fasting body weight, height and blood pressure were measured following standard procedures. Whole-body and segmental body composition were measured using an 8-contact electrode bioimpedance analysis (BIA) system. Fasting serum glucose, fasting plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) were assessed using automatic biochemistry analyzer. After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), Chinese males had significantly higher percentage of body fat (PBF) both with respect to whole body (Chinese: 23.7%±0.2% vs. Whites: 22.4%±0.2%) and the trunk area (Chinese: 25.0%±0.3% vs. Whites: 23.2%±0.3%) compared to their white counterparts. At all BMIs, Chinese males had significantly higher fasting glucose levels (Chinese: 5.7±1.0 mmol/L vs. Whites: 5.2±1.0 mmol/L) but lower high-density lipoprotein levels (Chinese: 0.8±1.0 mmol/L vs. Whites: 1.0±1.0 mmol/L) than white males. In addition, a marginally significantly higher diastolic blood pressure was found among Chinese men than that among white men (Chinese: 80±1.0 mmHg vs. Whites: 77±1.0 mmHg). Chinese males had more body fat and a greater degree of central fat deposition pattern than that seen in white males in the present study. Furthermore, data on blood pressure, fasting glucose and blood lipids suggest that Chinese men may be more prone to obesity-related risk factors than white men.
Highlights
Obesity is one of the greatest challenges facing global health experts today
After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) shows that the percentage of fat mass in whole body (P,0.01), trunk (P,0.01) and arm (P,0.01) were significantly higher in Chinese than that in
While comparison results from two large-scale epidemiological studies, the Shanghai Diabetes Studies (SHDS) [34] and the NHANES III [35], show that the mean value of percentage of body fat (PBF) for American men is relatively 7.4% higher than that for Chinese men
Summary
Associated complications include increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and some cancers [1]. The growing burden of these complications is projected to result in substantial increases in health care expenditures and productivity loss [2]. Some studies suggest that type 2 diabetes and hypertension occur at a lower BMI and younger age for Asians than for Europeans [4,5,6]. In China, if overweight is defined according to the nation-wide China Health and Nutrition survey (CHNS) as BMI$25 kg/m2 [10], less than 20% of Chinese adults under the age of 65 are overweight. The prevalence of overweight among U.S adults is approximately 65%
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