Influence of Ethnicity

Key Points

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There are clear ethnic differences in BMI and adipose tissue distribution:

• Asian and Caucasian populations are more likely to accumulate adipose tissue in the intra-abdominal cavity than African Americans.
• Despite a higher BMI, black women are more likely to accumulate fat subcutaneously. Because they are less likely to develop intra-abdominal obesity, they may also be less prone than Caucasians to developing the high triglycerides-low-HDL cholesterol dyslipidemic state. 
• Populations characterized by a large amount of intra-abdominal adipose tissue generally have a less favourable metabolic risk profile.
• Caucasian and Asian populations appear to accumulate more intra-abdominal adipose tissue and thus seem to be at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes and CVD for a given BMI value.
  

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