title: Risk of Obesity-Related Cardiometabolic Complications in Special Populations: A Crisis in Asians.
abstract: The prospect of a significant increase in global health-related costs associated with high cardiometabolic complications of obesity in Asians has encouraged more attention to be focused on the problem of growing obesity prevalence in these populations. Although these studies have shown that cardiometabolic complications occur more frequently and at a lower body mass index (BMI) in Asians than in European populations, the mechanisms involved have yet to be discovered. Ethnic/racial differences in body composition and fat distribution have been studied extensively. Although these studies have shown that increasing BMI is associated with larger increases in body fat content in Asians, growing evidence points to factors other than body fat content and fat distribution in determining a higher prevalence of cardiometabolic complications in these populations. Here, we provide support to our view that earlier onset of adipocyte maturation arrest/insulin resistance during weight gain could be a major factor in increasing the cardiometabolic risk of Asian populations at a lower BMI.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. Electronic address: nicola.abate13@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abate
authors.affiliation: Bay Area Metabolic Health, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Manisha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chandalia
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000502:physiology; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000502:physiology; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Adipose Tissue; Cardiometabolic; East Asian; Fat Distribution; Insulin Resistance; Metabolic Syndrome; Obesity; South Asian; Type 2 Diabetes