title: Japanese lifestyle during childhood prevents the future development of obesity among Japanese-Americans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether a Japanese lifestyle during childhood could protect against the future development of obesity-associated metabolic diseases by comparing native Japanese with Japanese-Americans in whom genetic factors are the same.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were 516 native Japanese and 781 Japanese-Americans who underwent medical examinations between 2007 and 2010. Japanese-Americans were divided into 444 first-generation immigrants (JA-1), who were born in Japan, and 337 second- or later-generation descendants (JA-2), who were born in the United States. The JA-2 group was then divided into the kibei subgroup (N = 79), who had moved to Japan before the age of 18 years and later returned to the United States, and the non-kibei subgroup (N = 258), who had never lived in Japan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The JA-2 group had the highest percentages of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes compared with native Japanese and JA-1. Furthermore, among JA-2, the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the kibei subgroup was significantly lower than that in the non-kibei subgroup. The prevalence of diabetes in the kibei subgroup also tended to be lower than in the non-kibei subgroup.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of obesity and metabolic diseases differed with residence in Japan during childhood among Japanese-Americans. These findings indicate the possibility that Japanese lifestyle during childhood could reduce the future risks for obesity-associated metabolic diseases.
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Mami
authors: M
authors: Shiwa
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Masayasu
authors: M
authors: Yoneda
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Shuhei
authors: S
authors: Nakanishi
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Oki
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Kiminori
authors: K
authors: Yamane
authors: Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors: Nobuoki
authors: N
authors: Kohno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence