Research
Mixed
Non-Hispanic Asian adults in the US experienced significant increases in all measured adiposity metrics (BMI, waist circumference, body fat percentage) and lean mass between 2011 and 2018.
Non-Hispanic Asian adults are experiencing rising adiposity. Monitor body fat percentage and waist circumference, as standard BMI may underestimate health risks. Consider adopting lower BMI cutoffs (≥27.5) for obesity classification if advised by a healthcare provider.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Increases in all measures were observed for non-Hispanic Asians, while people in the Hispanic and non-Hispanic white groups showed increased body mass index and waist circumference, but body fat percentage and lean mass remained stable
Why this rating
Large, nationally representative sample with rigorous statistical adjustments.
Source
Trends in obesity and adiposity measures by race or ethnicity among adults in the United States 2011-18: population based study
Buyun Liu et al. · BMJ · 2021
DOI 10.1136/bmj.n365
cross_sectional · n=21399Cited 304×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Overall US adult obesity prevalence increased significantly from 2011 to 2018, with non-Hispanic Black individuals showing the highest prevalence but leveling off trends.Strong
- Among US adults, non-Hispanic Black individuals exhibited a significant decrease in lean body mass from 2011 to 2018, while other racial/ethnic groups maintained stable or increased lean mass.Good
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