A new study reports that a genetic variant that affects energy metabolism and fat storage partly explains why Samoans have among the world's highest levels of obesity.
“This high prevalence of obesity among Samoans is a relatively recent phenomenon,” Arslanian notes. It appears to be “heavily influenced by globalization” and “the shift from subsistence agriculture to excess consumption of high calorie, processed foods and sedentary lifestyles.”
Previously, it was thought that Pacific Islanders were genetically predisposed to obesity, but new research indicates that it may be the result of the introduction of Western diets to the islands.
The prevalence of obesity in Samoa has steadily increased since the 1960s, and today, 53% of Samoa's adult population are obese. People living in the small island country of Samoa, with a total population of fewer than 200 thousand people, are one of the most obese people in the world today.
Your bmi is 21.1 which is categorized into normal weight as per your given details. So, there is nothing to worry about your weight, you are normal. Just lead a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Example: If a person weighs 68 kg and is 165 cm (1.65 m) tall, BMI is calculated as 68 ÷ (1.65)2 = 24.98 kg/m2, which means that the person has a BMI of 24.98 and is considered to be a healthy weight.
Recent genetic studies at the University of Pittsburgh have discovered a gene variant which increases the risk of obesity by up to 30-40%, appears in a quarter of all Samoans!
Meals consist of green bananas and taro (boiled or roasted), sapasui (Samoan chop-suey), pisupo (canned corned beef), povi masima (corned beef), mutton flaps, turkey tails, palusami/lu'au (coconut cream and onion cooked in taro leaves), kale (curry), rice, bread, fruit, sandwiches, soups, fish, mamoe (lamb), beef or ...
Many researchers also believe that Pacific islanders' bodies are genetically hard-wired to store fat more efficiently. This trait used to make a lot of sense — living on a tiny island, highly susceptible to the effects of the weather, often involved long periods of famine and required a great deal of physical labor.
The obesity epidemic began with locals turning their backs on traditional diets of fresh fish and vegetables and replacing them with highly processed and energy-dense food such as white rice, flour, canned foods, processed meats and soft drinks imported from other countries.
"At a given body-mass index, a Polynesian will have more muscle mass than a Caucasian," said Colin Bell, the World Health Organization's technical officer for noncommunicable diseases in Suva, Fiji. The obesity rankings to some extent "ignore the differences in phenotype or physical body type."
Nearly 1 in 3 adults in American Samoa has diabetes. These diseases of modernity kill many islanders at a grievously early age. Samoa's devastating public health problems are entangled with food and other cultural practices, as well as with the very genes that have helped Samoans survive for millennia.
In fact, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic whites. This is due to higher rates of risk factors such as being overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.
Based on the latest available data, of adults aged 18 and over (ABS 2018e): Two in 3 (67%) are living with overweight or obesity. This is approximately 12.5 million adults. 36% are living with overweight but not obesity.
Aussie men are the second most obese in OECD countries - Aussie men have the second highest rates of obesity (32%) among 23 OECD countries, behind the USA (38%).
In Australia, currently 63.4 per cent of adults and 24 per cent of children are considered overweight or obese. The World Obesity Federation projects 51 per cent of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2035. The economic impact of the increased rate of obesity is projected to be $6.38 trillion.
A greater amount of Polynesian genetic ancestry also was linked to a higher body mass index, a measure of body fat, according to the study published today in PLOS Genetics.
In 2021, black adults had the highest obesity rates of any race or ethnicity in the United States, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics. As of that time, around 44 percent of all black adults were obese. Asians/Pacific Islanders had by far the lowest obesity rates.
New academic research across rural New Zealand has found Māori and low income people are likely to be more obese because they do not have access to exercise facilities such as gyms, ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddie says.
Ideal body weight (men) = 50 kg + 1.9 kg for every inch above 5 feet. Ideal body weight (women) = 49 kg + 1.7 kg for every inch above 5 feet.
A 60kg 17 year old may well be considered average especially if her height to weight ratio (measured with BMI) is at an appropriate level. It also depends on who's perspective. A child would consider 60kg of anything to be quite heavy as it would be hard or impossible for a child to carry 60 kg. A grown ad...