# The thinnest Americans are Asian Americans, CDC data shows. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 16, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972 "2014-01-16T16:34:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972/1 "2014-01-16T16:34:35Z")
I’m not sure a study was needed. Anyone walking around a crowded mall can’t help but notice the younger Asian-Americans are usually thin. But they still suffer hypertension and cholesterol problems. I find that surprising. I wonder how much diet factors into this? Soy sauce is loaded with salt. I rarely eat at Chinese restaurants, but isn’t that food in general high in salt? Plus by now many Asian-Americans are eating the same fast food diet we all enjoy. > **[The thinnest Americans are Asian Americans, CDC data show](https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-asian-americans-health-data-20140114-story.html)** > > Which Americans are least likely to be overweight or obese? Asian Americans, by a long shot. > [@](#): > > Which Americans are least likely to be overweight or obese? Asian Americans, by a long shot. > > New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that 38.6% of Asian American adults have a body mass index over 25, the threshold for being considered overweight. That’s far below the 66.7% rate among whites, 76.7% rate among blacks and 78.8% rate among Latinos. > [@](#): > > The researchers, from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, also report that 10.3% of Asian Americans have high total cholesterol, with at least 240 milligrams per deciliter of blood. That is “similar” to other American adults, according to the study. > > The 14.3% who have low levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind) is lower than the 21.8% prevalence among people the CDC classified as Hispanic. > > In addition, the researchers say that 25.6% of Asian American adults qualify as having hypertension because their blood pressure is at least 140/90 millimeters mercury or because they are taking blood pressure medications. That’s about the same as the prevalence for whites and Latinos, but lower than the 42.1% incidence among non-Hispanic African Americans. ---
**Author:** ![VeroTrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@VeroTrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VeroTrem)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972/2 "2014-01-16T17:26:30Z")
Food at Chinese restaurants usually isn’t what Asians eat at home. Plus a majority of Asians probably eat Western food most of the time anyways. It’s probably due to mostly genetics (metabolic rates). In China today, the obesity rate isn’t too high but the number of people with diabetes is exploding. This probably indicates that their diets and lifestyle aren’t very healthy but genetics helps them avoid much of the weight gain. I personally only work out occasionally and often eat a lot of junk food like 6+ donuts in one sitting but I’ve avoided the freshman 15 and actually lost weight at college. In my first year, I lost about 10lbs and 1 inch off my waist. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972/3 "2014-01-16T19:30:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Food at Chinese restaurants usually isn’t what Asians eat at home. Unless they all secretly run Chinese restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Los\_Anconfused](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Los\_Anconfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Los_Anconfused)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972/4 "2014-01-16T20:03:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Anyone walking around a crowded mall can’t help but notice the younger Asian-Americans are usually thin. So you’re checking out the young Asian chicks at the mall? You and me both, pal. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thinnest-americans-are-asian-americans-cdc-data-shows/678972/5 "2014-01-16T20:03:55Z")
Hopefully America will come to terms with her rising obesity, by adopting the earlier Chinese tradition of revering not merely the elderly, but the grossly fat, as treasures to be admired. A 400-lb-der will be considered morally better — because richer — than those he or she overshadows. Which is as logical as the reverse moral judgement. Perhaps _Mike & Molly_ are harbingers of a bright new future for the extra-sized portion of the citizenry.