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BMI and adiposity based approach to obesity: the need for ethnic specificity. A reply to Kapoor et al. (2019)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2019

Łukasz Kryst ,
Magdalena Żegleń ,
Iwona Wronka ,
Agnieszka Woronkowicz ,
Inez Bilińska-Pawlak ,
Rituparna Das ,
Rana Saha ,
Sukanta Das  and
Parasmani Dasgupta
Łukasz Kryst*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education, Kraków, Poland
Magdalena Żegleń
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education, Kraków, Poland
Iwona Wronka
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
Agnieszka Woronkowicz
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education, Kraków, Poland
Inez Bilińska-Pawlak
Affiliation:
Mieszko I College of Education and Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Poznań, Poland
Rituparna Das
Affiliation:
Biological Anthropology Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
Rana Saha
Affiliation:
Dinabandhu Mahavidyalaya, Bongaon, West Bengal, India
Sukanta Das
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, North Bengal University, West Bengal, India
Parasmani Dasgupta
Affiliation:
Biological Anthropology Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
*
*Corresponding author. Email: lkryst@poczta.onet.pl
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Abstract

The ethnicity of the studied group is one of the key characteristics that should be taken into consideration when analysing the problem of overweight and obesity. It is especially crucial in populations of countries such as India, where the proportion of the fat to lean mass and general adiposity are significantly different from those observed among Europeans. This can cause a higher risk of various metabolic-related diseases to appear at relatively lower absolute adiposity. Therefore, there is a need for further research regarding the issues of body mass and composition in Indian populations, to obtain additional information as well as to develop ethnically specific cut-off points.

Keywords

Body compositionAdiposityEthnicity
Type
Debate
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 51 , Issue 4 , July 2019 , pp. 622 - 623
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press, 2019 

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