ASAM NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE EDGE
Asian Americans fared better than their white counterparts and were considered 42% more likely to have "ideal" cardiovascular health, according to research published last week in the Journal of the American Heart Association. But that advantage disappeared when the data was tweaked to redefine what was considered overweight for Asian Americans.
Authors of the American Heart Association's recent study say their research is the first to assess the heart health of Asian Americans using a nationally representative sample.
Previous research has shown Asian populations are at higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol at lower BMI thresholds. Using standard BMI definitions for overweight and obesity among Asian Americans may fail to identify people at increased cardiovascular risk, according to the study.
Even when compared to white people of similar age, sex and body fat, Asian Americans tend to have consistently lower BMI because of their "different body build," said Dr. Jing Fang, the study's lead author and an epidemiologist in the heart disease and stroke prevention division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Specifically, Asians are more likely to develop fat around the abdomen, which is linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. It's partly why the World Health Organization proposed lowering the BMI cutoff for Asian populations to consider anything 23 or higher as overweight, Fang said.
A “normal” BMI is considered to be anything below 25. But previous research has suggested that Asian Americans are at higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol at lower BMI thresholds. Failure to use population-specific metrics can put Asian Americans at a higher risk for going undiagnosed and untreated. More than half of Asians with diabetes go undiagnosed, for example, according to the American Heart Association.
Fang said that these findings “highlight the need for the application of population-specific and culturally appropriate metrics when assessing [cardiovascular health].” This is made all the more important by the fact that Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing groups in the U.S. They currently make up 5.6% of the overall population, and are projected to double in population by 2060, according to the American Heart Association.
Anh Vu Sawyer is someone who is well aware of the fact that low BMI doesn’t equate to good heart health.
“I have a very low body mass index,” said Sawyer, “but I was surprised to learn that I’m already prediabetic and did have high blood pressure.” These conditions put her at higher risk for heart disease and stroke. Her diagnosis 8 years ago was a reminder to eat healthier, but also to educate others.
Fang said that these findings “highlight the need for the application of population-specific and culturally appropriate metrics when assessing [cardiovascular health].” This is made all the more important by the fact that Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing groups in the U.S. They currently make up 5.6% of the overall population, and are projected to double in population by 2060, according to the American Heart Association.
Anh Vu Sawyer is someone who is well aware of the fact that low BMI doesn’t equate to good heart health.
“I have a very low body mass index,” said Sawyer, “but I was surprised to learn that I’m already prediabetic and did have high blood pressure.” These conditions put her at higher risk for heart disease and stroke. Her diagnosis 8 years ago was a reminder to eat healthier, but also to educate others.
Sawyer is the executive director of the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts in Worcester, MA, which serves around 10,000 people in the local Southeast Asian community. One of the many services they provide is a healthy eating group, and an urban gardening project.
Sawyer wants to open a commercial kitchen that uses the fresh produce from the garden. She envisions catering and cooking classes from the kitchen, and opportunities for community seniors to cook.
“The food the elders cook is just amazing,” Sawyer said. Still, she reminds herself to be mindful of her diet.
“I have to stay off the noodles,” she laughed. “Once a week, that’s it.”
Hopefully with this latest research publication, more people in the medical profession and the general population will know when someone is at risk, and should be watching their diet and taking other measures for better heart health.
Sawyer wants to open a commercial kitchen that uses the fresh produce from the garden. She envisions catering and cooking classes from the kitchen, and opportunities for community seniors to cook.
“The food the elders cook is just amazing,” Sawyer said. Still, she reminds herself to be mindful of her diet.
“I have to stay off the noodles,” she laughed. “Once a week, that’s it.”
Hopefully with this latest research publication, more people in the medical profession and the general population will know when someone is at risk, and should be watching their diet and taking other measures for better heart health.
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