International Differences in the Links between Obesity and Physiological Dysregulation: The United States, England, and Taiwan

Sarinnapha Vasunilashorn,Eileen M Crimmins,Jung Ki Kim

doi:10.1155/2013/618056

Sarinnapha Vasunilashorn, Eileen M Crimmins + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/618056

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Abstract

Excess weight has generally been associated with adverse health outcomes; however, the link between overweight and health outcomes may vary with socioeconomic, cultural, and epidemiological conditions. We examine associations of weight with indicators of biological risk in three nationally representative populations: the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study in Taiwan. Indicators of biological risk were compared for obese (defined using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference) and normal weight individuals aged 54+. Generally, obesity in England was associated with elevated risk for more markers examined; obese Americans also had elevated risks except that they did not have elevated blood pressure (BP). Including waist circumference in our consideration of BMI indicated different links between obesity and waist size across countries; we found higher physiological dysregulation among those with high waist but normal BMI compared to those with normal waist and normal BMI. Americans had the highest levels of biological risk in all weight/waist groups. Cross-country variation in biological risk associated with obesity may reflect differences in health behaviors, lifestyle, medication use, and culture.

Highlights

Rising levels of obesity are becoming a worldwide phenomenon and are increasingly identified as a health problem across the globe [1,2,3,4]
High total and LDL cholesterol is more common among the English; lower levels of plasma glucose, Creactive protein (CRP), and glycated hemoglobin are characteristic of the English
The size of the associated increase is larger with increasing weight. These equations explain 6 to 11 percent of the variance in the summary indicator of biological risk. These relationships are similar for women (Table 4(b)), with one exception: obese Taiwanese women do not have a significantly increased biological risk compared to their normal weight and normal waist counterparts

Summary

Introduction

Rising levels of obesity are becoming a worldwide phenomenon and are increasingly identified as a health problem across the globe [1,2,3,4]. The difference in obesity between the US and England is more pronounced for women. The aim of this paper is to investigate differences in how obesity relates to indicators of physiological dysregulation in men and women of diverse populations. This comparison will lead to an improved understanding of how obesity might be differentially related to health and mortality across cultures and lifestyles

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