Nutritional Sciences

The Korean Nutrition Society (한국영양학회)
권호 표지

Body Mass Index and Body Fat Percent of Koreans in Seoul and Pusan Compared to those of Caucasians

  • Published : 2005.02.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the body fat percent (BF%) and body mass index (BMI) of Koreans and the differences with Caucasians. Complete data were collected from 3297 subjects (2441females and 856 males) between the ages of 18 and 79. Data were collected between September 2001 and November 2001 in Seoul and Pusan. For the statistical analysis, only the data on subjects between the ages of 18 and 65(3200) were used Body weight and height were measured BMI (kg/$m^2$) was computed From BMI, BF (%) was calculated using age- and sex-specific prediction formulas. BF% was assessed using an INBODY 2.0 body fat analyser. Data analysis showed that the females were significantly younger than the males, were smaller, lighter and had a lower body mass index. Body fat percent of the females was higher than that of the males. 1he differences between actual measured BF% and BF% as predicted from prediction equations from the literature, based on BMI, age and sex, were correlated with level of body fat and age. There is a significant age-related decrease in body fat in Koreans for any given BMI and sex, which is remarkably different compared to age-related increases in body fat in the European reference group. For the same age and BF%, Korean females have a slightly lower BMI than their European counterparts. Korean males have, for the same age and BF%, a higher BMI than their European counterparts. The differences between females and males were not significant. It was concluded that, assuming that the data on body fat percent was correct, that the relationship between BF% and BMI is quite different in Koreans than in European Caucasians. Thus, for younger Koreans cut-off values for obesity should be slightly lower than those for Caucasians whereas for older Koreans the cut-off points for obesity should be higher than those for Caucasians.

Keywords

References

  1. WHO Obesity: Preventing and managing the global epidemic. Report on a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Geneva, 3-5 June, 1997, WHO/NUT/NCD/98.1, Geneva, 1998
  2. Roche AF, Heymsfield SB, Lohman TG. Human Body Composition. Human Kinetics. Champaign II, 1996
  3. Lukaski HC. Methods for the assessment of body com­position: traditional and new. Am J Clin Nutr 46:437-456, 1987
  4. Womersley J, Durnin JVGA. A comparison of the skinfold method with extent of overweight and various weight-height relationships in the assessment of obesity. Brit J Nutr 38:271-284, 1977 https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19770088
  5. Norgan NG, Ferro-Luzzi A. Weight-height indices as estima­tors of fatness in men. Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 36c:363-372, 1982
  6. Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, Seidell JC. Body mass index as a measure of body fatness: age and sex specific prediction formulas. Brit J Nutr 65:105-114, 1991 https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19910073
  7. Gallagher D, Visser M, Sepulveda D, Pierson RN, Harris T, Heymsfield SB. How useful is BMl for comparison of body fatness across age, sex and ethnic groups. Am J Epidemiology 143:228-239, 1996 https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008733
  8. Vanltallie TB, Yang MU, Heymsfield SB, Funk RC, Boileau RA. Height-normalized indices of the body's fat-free mass and fat mass: potentially useful indicators of nutritional status. Am J Clin Nutr 52:953-959, 1990
  9. Norgan NG. Interpretation of low body mass indices: Australian Aborigines. Am J Physical Anthropol 94:229-237, 1994 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330940207
  10. Deurenberg P, Deurenberg-Yap M, Wang J, Lin Fu Po, Schmidt G. The impact of body build on the relationship between body mass index and body fat percent. Int J Obesity 23:537-542, 1999 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800868
  11. Wang J, Thornton JC, Russell M, Burastero S, Heymsfield SB, Pierson RN. Asians have lower BMl (BMl) but higher percent body fat than do Whites: comparisons of anthropometric measurements. Am J Clin Nutr 60:23-28, 1994
  12. Guricci S, Hartriyanti Y, Hautvast JGAJ, Deurenberg P. Relationship between body fat and body mass index: differ­ences between Indonesians and Dutch Caucasians. Eur J Clin Nutr 52:779-783, 1998 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600637
  13. Deurenberg-Yap M, Schmidt G, Staveren WA, Deurenberg P. The paradox of low body mass index and high body fat percent among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore. Int J Obesity 24:1011-1017, 2000 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801353
  14. He M, Tan KCB, Li ETS, Kung AWC. Body fat deter­mination by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and its relation to body mass index and waist circumference in Hong Kong Chinese. Int J Obesity 25:748-752, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801612
  15. Swinburn BA, Ley SJ, Carmichael HE, Plank LD. Body size and composition in Polynesians. Int J Obesity 23:1178-1183, 1999 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801053
  16. Deurenberg P, Yap M, Staveren van WA. Body mass index and percent body fat: a meta analysis among different ethnic groups. Int J Obesity 22:1164-1171, 1998 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0800741
  17. Wagner DR, Heyward VH. Measures of body composition in blacks and whites: a comparative review. Am J Clin Nutr 71:1392-1402, 2000
  18. Deurenberg P, Ge K, Hautvast JGAJ, Wang J. Body mass index as predictor for body fat: comparison between Chinese and Dutch adult subjects. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 6: 102-105, 1997
  19. Ko GTC, Tang J, Chan JCN, Wu MMF, Wai HPS, Chen R. Lower BMI cut-off value to defme obesity in Hong Kong Chinese: an analysis based on body fat assessment by bioelectrical impedance. Brit J Nutr 85:239-242, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN2000251
  20. Gallagher D, Heymsfield SB, Heo M, Jeb SA, Murgatroyd PR, Sakamoto Y. Healthy percentage body fat ranges: an approach for developing guidelines based on body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr 71:694-701, 2000
  21. Ko GTC, Chan JC, Cockram CS, Woo J. Prediction of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia or albuminuria using simple anthropometric indexes in Hong Kong Chinese. Int J Obes 23:1136-1142, 1999 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801043
  22. Deurenberg-Yap M, Chew SK, Lin FP, van Staveren WA, Deurenberg P. Relationships between indices of obesity and its co-morbidities among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore. Int J Obesity 25:1554-1562, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801739
  23. Deurenberg P. Universal cut-off BMI points for obesity are not appropriate (invited commentary). Brit J Nutr 85:135-136, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN2000273
  24. Sung RYT, Lau P, Yu CW, Lam PKW, Nelson EAS. Measurement of body fat using leg to leg bioimpedance. Arch Dis Child 85:263-267, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.85.3.263
  25. Snijder MB, Kuyf BEM, Deurenberg P. The effects of body build on the validity of predicted body fat from body mass index and bioelectrical impedance. Ann Nutr Metab 43:277-285, 1999 https://doi.org/10.1159/000012795
  26. Deurenberg P, Deurenberg-Yap M, Schouten FJM. Validity of total and segmental impedance measurements for pre­diction of body composition across ethnic population groups. Eur J Clin Nutr 56:214-220 2002 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601303
  27. Wang J, Deurenberg P. The validity of predicted body composition in Chinese adults from anthropometry and bio­electrical impedance in comparison with densitometry. Brit J Nutr 76:175-182, 1996 https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19960023
  28. Siri WE. Body composition from fluid spaces and density: analysis of methods. In: Techniques for measuring body composition. (J. Brozek & A. Henschel, Eds), pp.223-244, National Academy of Sciences. Washington, 1961
  29. Deurenberg P, Andreoli A, Borg P, Kukkonen-Harjula K, de Lorenzo A, van Marken Lichtenbelt W, Testolin G, Vigano R, Vollaard N. The validity of predicted body fat percent from body mass index and from impedance in samples of five European populations. Eur J Clin Nutr 55:973-979, 2001 https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601254
  30. SPSS/Windows V10.0.0 Chicago, SPSS Publishing, 1999
  31. Bland JM, Altman DG. Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurements. Lancet 1 307-310, 1986