The definition of obesity is set too high for people of southern Asian heritage, researchers said last night.
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, of Leicester University, suggests the body mass index measure of obesity should be reduced by at least two points – from 30 to 28 – for south Asians.
He says the threshold could even be reduced to 23.
Writing in the journal PLoS One, Professor Khunti and his fellow researchers report on findings on 6,000 people tested for diabetes.
Professor Khunti said the weight levels that gave equivalent risk to other people for heart disease were lower for south Asians. This was based on measures of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol.
The same issue applied to waste measurements.
He said: "This is the first study to reassess obesity definitions in a migrant UK south Asian population and could have important clinical implications.
"This research has huge implications globally for screening strategies for south Asians based on body mass index and waist circumference cut-points. We need to lower these cut-points when screening for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in these groups."
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