# Are most Samoans fat ?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 5, 2009, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646 "2009-10-05T08:32:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/1 "2009-10-05T08:32:56Z")
or is it that they show only fat Samoans on TV ?
Is it a misconception or is there some thing in their genes which makes them fat ?
---
### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/2 "2009-10-05T09:20:30Z")
Actually, it’s something in their diet. They didn’t used to be fat, but since the mid-twentieth century rates of obesity have grown dramatically, especially in American Samoa, with the expected consequences for rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is usually attributed to dietary change - a greatly incresed consumption of animal fats and processed carbohydrates.
Having said that, it could be a combination of genes and diet; it could be that they get fatter on an western diet that westerners tend to, and that this is due to a stronger genetic predisposition to store fat. But I think the jury is out on that.
---
### Author:  [@BaconAndEggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaconAndEggs)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/3 "2009-10-05T11:22:18Z")
I’ve noticed this too and always wanted to ask why they are all mostly fat…but I don’t think this thread will end well.
---
### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/4 "2009-10-05T12:32:41Z")
It’s a real problem.
[http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/53/6/1586S.pdf](http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/53/6/1586S.pdf) (PDF)
[http://www.brown.edu/Administration/George\_Street\_Journal/vol28/28GSJ08j.html](http://www.brown.edu/Administration/George_Street_Journal/vol28/28GSJ08j.html)
[Dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity in western Samoa over the 13 year period 1978-1991 - PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8081434)
Obesity rates are significantly higher than in other populations.
---
### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/5 "2009-10-05T13:34:26Z")
> [@BaconAndEggs](#):
>
> but I don’t think this thread will end well.
I did not mean this as a derogatory question , if that is what you mean .
---
### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/6 "2009-10-05T15:23:26Z")
I wonder if there’s also a factor of thinking something like,“Fat islanders are Samoans, thin islanders are Hawaiian.”
---
### Author:  [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/7 "2009-10-05T15:31:36Z")
It’s obviously culturally self-perpetuating at this point, to a degree, but the sheer number of Samoans in the NFL suggests that they are genetically not inclined to be slight of stature – I see a lot of them who are big-boned in the literal sense.
Or, alternatively, 2:30 of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTAh\_ih8oCA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTAh_ih8oCA)
---
### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/8 "2009-10-05T15:50:18Z")
Just an anecdotal observation that the Polynesian people I met on Raratonga in the Cook Islands were a right bunch of chubbers. It’s not a rich place, but they certainly appeared to have enough to eat, and tubbiness did seem to be the norm for the indigenous peoples.
If we take as true that Polynesian oral history tells that the Maoris were originally a group of Raratongan islanders who left to populate New Zealand, yet I saw few fat Maoris, it would indicate that it’s cultural.
---
### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/9 "2009-10-05T15:52:29Z")
> [@UDS](#):
>
> Actually, it’s something in their diet. They didn’t used to be fat, but since the mid-twentieth century rates of obesity have grown dramatically, especially in American Samoa, with the expected consequences for rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is usually attributed to dietary change - a greatly incresed consumption of animal fats and processed carbohydrates.
>
> Having said that, it could be a combination of genes and diet; it could be that they get fatter on an western diet that westerners tend to, and that this is due to a stronger genetic predisposition to store fat. But I think the jury is out on that.
There is also an issue with some of the desert southwestern indians also, apparently the Navaho have a diabetes epidemic rampaging around.
---
### Author:  [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/10 "2009-10-05T16:53:49Z")
> [@aruvqan](#):
>
> There is also an issue with some of the desert southwestern indians also, apparently the Navaho have a diabetes epidemic rampaging around.
This is almost certainly diet related. Native Americans eat a lot of Fry Bread (think about the elephant ears they sell at the carnival). Basically, its like a flat donut often slathered in butter. It’s become somewhat of a staple in many areas.
---
### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/11 "2009-10-05T17:06:14Z")
Spam is very popular among some Pacific Islander populations, I’ve read, and that might be partly to blame.
---
### Author:  [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/12 "2009-10-05T17:20:10Z")
> [@Huerta88](#):
>
> It’s obviously culturally self-perpetuating at this point, to a degree, but the sheer number of Samoans in the NFL suggests that they are genetically not inclined to be slight of stature – I see a lot of them who are big-boned in the literal sense.
>
> Or, alternatively, 2:30 of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTAh\_ih8oCA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTAh_ih8oCA)
There really is a disproportionate number of Samoans in the NFL. I wonder why that is?
I know the Mormons have a significant presence in several of the Pacific Islands, are many of the NFLer Samoans also BYU grads?
---
### Author:  [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/13 "2009-10-05T17:25:14Z")
> [@johnspartan](#):
>
> There really is a disproportionate number of Samoans in the NFL. I wonder why that is?
>
> I know the Mormons have a significant presence in several of the Pacific Islands, are many of the NFLer Samoans also BYU grads?
Some are, they tend to play for a number of Mountain/West schools.
Some of it is just sort of a “family business” thing – there are only about 65,000 people in America Samoa, 104,000 in Tonga, so the odds are if you’re a young guy thinking about sports, you may well know, possibly be related to, one or more older guys who’s played at least D1 football, possibly NFL – many of the guys in the league are each others close or distant cousins.
---
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/14 "2009-10-05T17:40:02Z")
Every Samoan I’ve ever known, going back to the late 60s, has been oversized. They’ve either been huge and fat, or huge and muscular, or both; this applies to both men and women. I’m trying not to stereotype these folks; most that I’ve known have had an aggressive nature about them, and are terrors on the football field. The guys I knew in the Navy were not people that you wanted to antagonize in any fashion, and most people gave them a wide berth (no pun intended).
Diet could certainly explain part of the size issue, but consider the Inuit, who have a diet that is astronomically fat-laden, yet don’t tend to be obese as a general rule. It would seem that genetics must play a part.
---
### Author:  [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/15 "2009-10-05T18:41:07Z")
This brings to mind a quote from Noel Coward during Queen Elisabeth’s Coronation in 1953:-
_Watching Queen Elizabeth’s coronation parade, friends wondered aloud who the little man sharing a carriage with the 400 pound Queen of Tonga might be. According to David Niven, Coward replied:
“Her lunch.”_
---
### Author:  [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/16 "2009-10-05T18:45:28Z")
Wow, Wikipedia has 111 names under “Samoan players of American football”
> **[Category:Samoan players of American football](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Samoan_players_of_American_football)**
>
> This category is for people from the independent nation of Samoa who play American football. American football players from the U.S. territory of American Samoan should be categorized instead in Category:Players of American football from American Samoa.
> The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. This list may not reflect recent changes.
---
### Author:  [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/17 "2009-10-05T19:04:37Z")
> [@johnspartan](#):
>
> Wow, Wikipedia has 111 names under “Samoan players of American football”
>
> [Category:Samoan players of American football - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Samoan_players_of_American_football)
I know you know this, but just to clarify: that’s all-time, not current . . . .
There seem to be about 28 active now.
> **[ESPN.com: GEN - Samoan football players in the NFL](https://www.espn.com/gen/s/2002/0528/1387810.html)**
About seven Tongans (as of whenever this link was dated):
[http://www.planet-tonga.com/sports/nfl\_profiles/index.shtml](http://www.planet-tonga.com/sports/nfl_profiles/index.shtml)
---
### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/18 "2009-10-05T19:18:57Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
>
> Spam is very popular among some Pacific Islander populations, I’ve read, and that might be partly to blame.
OK how is receiving unsolicisted emails going to make them fat? 😃
Nauruans (another Island in the Pacific) has a similar problem:
From Wikipedia
> [@](#):
>
> Nauruans are among the most obese people in the world. 90% of adults have a higher BMI than the world average.[41] Nauru has the world’s highest level of type 2 diabetes, with more than 40% of the population affected.[42] Other significant dietary-related problems on Nauru include kidney disease and heart disease. Life expectancy on Nauru in 2006 was just 58.0 years for males and 65.0 years for females.[43]
My guess is:
I would think that a lot of food grown locally would be monotonous and lack variety. It probably served the local population well for centuries but with the coming of the West, the locals wanted more variety in their diet.
But being island nations very isolated, they’d have to import everything. And these imports having to travel so far are probably canned and full of salt, instead of fresh veggies and other things like that.
---
### Author:  [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/19 "2009-10-05T19:32:20Z")
> [@johnspartan](#):
>
> There really is a disproportionate number of Samoans in the NFL. I wonder why that is?
>
> I know the Mormons have a significant presence in several of the Pacific Islands, are many of the NFLer Samoans also BYU grads?
I believe that a disproportionate number of them are (in comparison to other D1 schools), but not a majority. There was a good NPR story a couple weeks ago on Polynesians in football, and it focused on Utah. There was never a direct mention of Mormonism, but the assumption I made was that the Mormon presence on some Polynesian islands leads to a higher Polynesian presence in Utah than elsewhere in the mainland US.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646/20 "2009-10-05T19:41:59Z")
I don’t see why there wouldn’t be a genetic component to it. Samoa was a very small, very isolated community - after several centuries, genes are bound to drift a bit.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-most-samoans-fat/512646.md?page=2)