Among the genetic factors thought to influence fat loss response, racial differences have probably been studied least. Yet simple observation shows that there are big differences in body shape between Negroids, Asians and Caucasians in particular. Negroid women store fat more readily around the hips and buttocks: amongst Negroids, the Hottentot women of South Africa, who have survived in a severe desert climate for millennia, are well-known for their exaggerated gynoid tat stores, which may have increased the survival potential of the race in the desert.
Asian women are known for their small hips, waist-to-hip ratios used as a measure of risk in Caucasians, therefore, are generally not relevant for these women because they give measures more characteristic of a man. Other fat measures such as skinfolds or machine measures may be more relevant here, and particularly when comparing between racial groups. Normative values for body rat, therefore, need to take account of racial differences, but to date this has not been done.
The deposition of fat may also differ amongst racial groups. Chinese and Indians, for example, appear to put additional fat on the waist first before then filling out all over. Island races like Sa moans and Tongans are big people and are prone to developing significant obesity, but that fat is stored more evenly over the body. Aboriginal Australians have naturally lean limbs and small hips but also a high tendency for fat gain from eating ‘Western-style’ foods. This appears to manifest more in the form of abdominal obesity rather than the overall obesity more common of Polynesians and Melanesians.
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