You are 156cm tall and weigh 51kg. Are you embarrassed when they say you are ‘obese’? – Financial News

‘2024 InBody Report’ analysis results
Korean women in their 20s have skinny obesity rate of 15.8%, ‘highest in the world’

[파이낸셜뉴스] A survey has revealed that the rate of ‘skinny obesity’ among young Korean women is the highest in the world.

According to the ‘2024 InBody Report (2018-2022)’ recently released by InBody, the thin obesity rate among Korean women in their 20s is 15.8%, the highest among the countries surveyed.

Whole body fat, skinny obesity concentrated in the abdomen

This is the result of analyzing 2,187,224 body composition data of women in their 20s around the world. Korean data was 1,347,141.

After Korea, Thailand (15.2%) had the highest rate. Asian countries such as Malaysia (14.2%), Japan (12.4%), and China (12.1%) ranked high.

Skinny obesity is when a person is diagnosed as obese even though their body mass index (BMI) is normal. If the body fat percentage (25% for men, 30% for women) exceeds the standard and the whole body fat is mainly concentrated in the abdomen, it is classified as skinny obesity.

In the field of nutrition, obesity is often measured based on BMI. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight (kg) by the square of your height (㎡). However, BMI only considers the total weight of the object being measured and cannot calculate the ratio of muscle and body fat in the body.

InBody used an office worker in his 30s as an example and revealed the typical ‘skinny obese’ body type.

He was 155.6 cm tall, weighed 51 kg, and had a BMI of 20.55. According to BMI standards, he falls within the normal range (18.5 to 23.0). However, with a body fat percentage of 30.2%, he is typical ‘skinny obese’. Skeletal muscle mass was only 19 kg.

Pursuing a thin body only reduces muscle mass… a warning light for vascular health.

If this state of skinny obesity continues, it can lead to various diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and sarcopenia.

The visceral fat between organs caused by skinny obesity raises cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which leads to the development of metabolic syndrome and increased insulin resistance.

InBody analyzed that one of the causes of skinny obesity is the social atmosphere that favors a thinner body type among younger women.

Lee Deok-hyung, professor emeritus in the Department of Family Medicine at Severance Hospital, said, “Skin obesity occurs when a person lacks muscle mass but has a lot of fat tissue. Having a lot of visceral fat is not good for vascular health, as it increases insulin resistance, arteriosclerosis, and chronic inflammation.” did.

He added, “Because skinny obesity is largely due to a lack of muscle mass, it is important to exercise while eating a balanced diet.”

[email protected] Reporter Kim Ju-ri

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