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Maciamo
Jun 24, 2005, 14:29
BBC News : China warned of obesity time-bomb (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4106212.stm)


China will have at least 200m obese people within 10 years if current trends continue, the state media say.

They quoted a top medical expert as saying high-fat diets and less active lifestyles in a country with rising incomes were exacerbating the problem.

The expert said trends among children were the most worrying with 10% of them considered obese.

China has already 90m people out of 1.3bn whose weight is more than 20% in excess of the accepted level.
...
He said that rapidly improving living standards had led to a fast-food culture in many cities and more Chinese were adopting more sedentary lifestyles that centred around television, computers and cars.

Mr Chen's report said the problem was particularly bad among youths, with the number of the obese children increasing by 8% every year.
...

So who said that Orientals were genetically predisposed to be thin ? If most Japanese, and indeed most East Asians are thin nowadays, it may be due to 2 factors : healthy food (in Japan), frugality due to economic conditions (in most other countries). Interestingly, the obesity rate in China is increasing at the same speed as the economy (8% per year).

Chinese food is notoriously fat. With the rise of the Chinese economy, it is only natural that people eat more, work less physically (more office work instead of manual labour) and thus more fat people. What surprises me is that people in Singapore and Hong Kong, who are also Chinese eating mostly Chinese food, do no get fatter. Maybe, like in the US, it is matter of poorer education in Mainland China. People might not eat equilibrated anymore, or become excessive by lack of self-control (often due to a sense of deprivation).

The perenial question is, why are Americans in average so much fatter than Europeans, and why would the Chinese become so much fatter than the Japanese ? Food diversity ? Lifestyle ? I refuse to think it is sport/exercise, as American people are usually much more sport-obssessed than Europeans and Japanese people. Could it just be a psychological difference ? But what do the younger Chinese share in common with the Americans than they do not share with the Japanese ? Quiz time !

Pachipro
Jun 25, 2005, 01:13
The perenial question is, why are Americans in average so much fatter than Europeans, and why would the Chinese become so much fatter than the Japanese ? Food diversity ? Lifestyle ? I refuse to think it is sport/exercise, as American people are usually much more sport-obssessed than Europeans and Japanese people. Could it just be a psychological difference ? But what do the younger Chinese share in common with the Americans than they do not share with the Japanese ? Quiz time !
For one I think that it is the Chinese diet being much more fatty. With an increase in income and the expanding economy, maybe the Chinese are doing less manual labor and have more money to spend on food vs 10-20 yrs ago. Therefore, with less work and more money to spend on food, their high fat diet is finally beginning to show. Just a guess.

In Japan I have noticed that the younger generation is much fatter than they were a generation ago. However, it seems that once they get into adulthood, vanity and common sense takes over as they want to be attracted by, and to, the opposite sex. Also their diet is much more healthier with less fat and more protein.

I don't know much about the Chinese lifestyle, but the Japanese do seem to walk alot during their daily routine. Even myself, when I lived in Japan I did much more walking to the train station, work, combini, etc., than I ever do here in the US as I need my car to go anywhere. For me to walk, I have to force myself to do it around the neighborhood.

Americans are fatter than the Europeans because they eat too much! Eating has become a hobby here and there is no regard to nutritional content whatsoever.

You are wrong in your assessment that the Americans are much more sport-obsessed than European or Japanese people. Americans, for the most part are down right lazy and they eat way too much junk food. Exercise to them is a dirty word and involves too much work. It may seem that they are sport-obsessed in places like California or New York and such where vanity and "looking good" are the lifestyle. And they are.

But take a visit outside those places to the heartland and you will notice that more than 60-70% of the population is overweight. A car is needed to go anywhere. Americans work too much, thus they eat alot of fast food and there is no time for exercise because watching the latest reality show is more important. No one walks at all. All you can eat Chinese food restaurants are always packed and there is a long wait for a seat. Burger chains and restaurants are promoting that they have the biggest burger and larger portions and such. You can double your portion of fries and drink for 30 cents more! 2 for 1 pizza is a tradition on the weekends "with more cheese and toppings than the competitor." Drive by any fast food chain in the evening and there will be a long line of cars waiting for the drive through. Therefore, the average American is severely under nourished in the amount of fiber, protein, vegetables and vitamins they consume. In America, for the most part, it is not the quality of the food, but the quantity and "how much food can I get for my dollar?" The government recently announced that there is an epidemic of obesity in the US. An epidemic!

Thus the younger Chinese share the same thing in common with Americans. A high fat diet with little or no exercise and money to spend on food. Much like the younger Japanese without the fatty food but a high intake of junk food.

Ma Cherie
Jun 25, 2005, 01:46
Well, it's obvious there's has to be some sort of lifestyle changes. So, I guess I was right, chinese food being non-fatty is a myth. :p The obesity problem in America has do with us needing discipline. But, I mean really? I wouldn't say that Americans hate exercising, I would argue the point that we don't have much time for it. However, Americans really need to stop giving into those advertisments for increase in quantities of food. That's why I get angry when I see people trying to sue the fastfood industry for the reasons why they're overwieght. For of all, it's NOT the fastfood industry's fault you're obese, it's your fault for not choosing to eat properly. Besides, there's no excuse as to why Americans can't healthier. :okashii:

I don't know the situation with China or Japan. I just hope it doesn't get out of hand like it has here in the States.

Glenn
Jun 25, 2005, 01:51
I wonder if there's any connection between a decrease in home-cooked meals and an increase in obesity. Adding to the too busy idea, perhaps people just don't have time to cook anymore. I have no idea whether there's any connection -- I'm just throwing out ideas.

Pachipro
Jun 25, 2005, 02:20
The obesity problem in America has do with us needing discipline. But, I mean really? I wouldn't say that Americans hate exercising, I would argue the point that we don't have much time for it. However, Americans really need to stop giving into those advertisments for increase in quantities of food. That's why I get angry when I see people trying to sue the fastfood industry for the reasons why they're overwieght. For of all, it's NOT the fastfood industry's fault you're obese, it's your fault for not choosing to eat properly. Besides, there's no excuse as to why Americans can't healthier.
You are correct in your assessment about discipline. But most of the people I know hate exercising and will do anything to not do it thus they don't. Of course I know a couple who do it religiously, but for the most part they hate it. But you are correct in that they don't have much time for it with all their work and such. I'm with you in the suits against the fast food industry. It's their fault and they should have more discipline. In my case I had to cut down my eating to twice a day. With my age and slower metabolism, I just had to do do it as my weight went up to almost 180 lbs. I just cut out one meal, all soft drinks and candy and sugary substances, eat healthier and take suppliments. Now my weight is down to a respectable 160 lbs.


I wonder if there's any connection between a decrease in home-cooked meals and an increase in obesity. Adding to the too busy idea, perhaps people just don't have time to cook anymore. I have no idea whether there's any connection -- I'm just throwing out ideas.
I believe there is a connection. With both parents working to pay the mortgage, cable, cell phone, cars, HDTV bills and such they don't have time to cook a healthy meal for the kids. So they just slap something together or order fast food with no nutrition whatsoever. When I was a kid, mom didn't need to work to pay the bills and we always had a home-cooked health meal with vegetables and such. Today, that is quite rare.

lexico
Jun 25, 2005, 02:33
I wonder if there's any connection between a decrease in home-cooked meals and an increase in obesity. Adding to the too busy idea, perhaps people just don't have time to cook anymore. I have no idea whether there's any connection -- I'm just throwing out ideas.I think there might be a connection; as far as I recall there are numerous breakfast cafeterias where they serve quick meals quite early in the morning. I used to get soft tofu and soy sauce or hundun (wonton) soup. I don't know if they are still popular, but if so, that's another common aspect between the US and China.

One thing that comes to mind is China's low reliance on rice. I think the heavy reliance on rice in Japan and Korea is widely different from the variety of staples in the diets of US and China where there isn't such a strong preference for rice. I really don't know how else this might be related to obesity per se though. It might be that their diet is somewhat healthier because it's more diversified ?

Pachipro
Jun 25, 2005, 02:58
BTW Lexico, what is the situation in Korea with obese people? Do they eat similar to Japanese or Chinese? Is the younger generation obese? I only visited Korea once and I thought they ate similar to Japanese with the exception of kimchi. However, in my in-laws house kimchi is a staple food eaten everyday for it's health benefits. I wonder how many JApanese households eat kimchi on a regular basis?

Ma Cherie
Jun 25, 2005, 03:03
That home cooked meal argument makes sense. Then again, there could be alot of reasons for the obesity problem. These days, food is being processed instead being natural.

Pachipro
Jun 25, 2005, 03:09
These days, food is being processed instead being natural.
In my opinion, that is the biggest problem. Processed food! :bikkuri:

lexico
Jun 25, 2005, 03:10
BTW Lexico, what is the situation in Korea with obese people? Do they eat similar to Japanese or Chinese? Is the younger generation obese? I only visited Korea once and I thought they ate similar to Japanese with the exception of kimchi. However, in my in-laws house kimchi is a staple food eaten everyday for it's health benefits. I wonder how many JApanese households eat kimchi on a regular basis?I would say the diet here is closer to Japanese than it is to Chinese; rice and kimchi is THE staple diet. Obesity has been on the rise; it has become a serious problem for some people ast least. I think it's related to the change in diet that some poeple believe is acceptable now. Many mothers are either too busy to cook for their children, or don't have the inclination to cook. Some mothers are into thinking what they find decent food is okay for their kids. Very unscientific thinking wouuld explain a lot of what's going on; poor kids who have to suffer for their mothers not knowing much in terms of food and health.

As for kimchi in the average Japanese household, I don't have any stats, but I've noticed some Japanese visiting Korea on business make it a point to shop for kimchi for their wives back home. So I'd say it's become quite popular in Japan. :)

Pachipro
Jun 25, 2005, 03:23
Many mothers are either too busy to cook for their children, or don't have the time to cook. Some mothers are into thinking what they find decent food is okay for their kids. Very unscientific thinking wouuld explain a lot of what's going on; poor kids who have to suffer for their mothers not knowing much in terms of food and health.
It seems that this has become the norm in almost all industrialized countries although I don't know about Europe. They think that just because it's advertised on TV that it is ok to eat and feed ones children. But when you do a little further reasearch you find that there is absolutely little or no nutritional value whatsoever in some of the meals people are eating these days. Quite sad. The least they could do is fortify their meals with suppliments to keep their immune system functioning properly.

Glenn
Jun 25, 2005, 03:23
One thing that comes to mind is China's low reliance on rice. I think the heavy reliance on rice in Japan and Korea is widely different from the variety of staples in the diets of US and China where there isn't such a strong preference for rice. I really don't know how else this might be related to obesity per se though. It might be that their diet is somewhat healthier because it's more diversified ?

This is interesting. I had suspected that this might be the case, but I never had any hard evidence that it could be:

http://www.frenchcreoles.com/foods.htm

Louisiana rice consumption is considerably higher than the rest of the nation, and even rivals that of some Asian countries. So strong is the local rice culture that in the 1970s, Japanese appliance companies successfully marketed automatic rice cookers to the home cooks of Southern Louisiana.

More info on rice production in the US:
http://www.riceromp.com/teachers/lessonContent.cfm?pId=78

The states with the highest rice consumption are Hawaii and Louisiana.

I can't seem to find any figures, but the point remains that somewhere it's documented that rice consumption in Louisiana is higher than nearly all of the rest of the nation. Unfortunately for us, though, it doesn't outweigh the other factors of obesity.

http://www.lpb.org/programs/LApublicsquare/topic009.html

The problem of over-eating and/or not exercising is a national one. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. Although the prevalence of obesity in Louisiana declined slightly [0.7 percent] between 2003 and 2004, the rate of obesity in our state has more than doubled since 1990. Nearly one adult in four living in Louisiana is obese.

Anyway, the point of all of this was to show that reliance on rice isn't inversely proportionate to obesity.

It appears that rice consumption is a factor in the Japanese's slimness, but they also eat a lot of other healthful foods, and there seems to be a nationwide obsession with phys. ed. (at least while in school). We, however, love our butter and fat, and don't excersice very much, hence the obesity problem.

bossel
Jun 25, 2005, 03:56
I wonder if there's any connection between a decrease in home-cooked meals and an increase in obesity. Adding to the too busy idea, perhaps people just don't have time to cook anymore. I have no idea whether there's any connection -- I'm just throwing out ideas.
Most probably there is a connection. AFAIK, the obesity problem in China is most prevalent among youngsters which habitually eat at McDonald's or similar restaurants. The traditional Chinese diet is not to blame, I think. It's by far not as healthy as many Chinese seem to think, but it doesn't really lead to obesity.

Another reason for obesity in China may be the one-child policy. Many Chinese kids are simply spoilt.



One thing that comes to mind is China's low reliance on rice.
To me as a German Chinese food culture seems to focus very much on rice (although there is an incredible number of Chinese dishes without rice), it's definitely the Chinese staple food no.1.
Is rice so much more prevalent in Korea & Japan that it makes China's reliance on rice look comparatively low?

Maciamo
Jun 25, 2005, 12:55
As for kimchi in the average Japanese household, I don't have any stats, but I've noticed some Japanese visiting Korea on business make it a point to shop for kimchi for their wives back home. So I'd say it's become quite popular in Japan. :)

I confirm that kimchi is becoming quite popular in Japan. My wife and I just love it. Whenever I pass through Incheon Airport, I see loads of Japanese buying kimchi as "omiyage". In fact, the Korean staff selling it greet customers in Japanese assuming only Japanese will buy it at the airport !

Maciamo
Jun 25, 2005, 13:02
To me as a German Chinese food culture seems to focus very much on rice (although there is an incredible number of Chinese dishes without rice), it's definitely the Chinese staple food no.1.
Is rice so much more prevalent in Korea & Japan that it makes China's reliance on rice look comparatively low?

There is a big gap between North and South China regarding rice consumption. Most Chinese restaurants in Western countries are the Southern type, with mostly rice. I noticed that Chinese restaurants in Japan, and especially expensive ones, mainly serve fried rice as the last dish of a long course, with no rice during the rest of the course. Chinese food in Japan means more "men" (–Ë), gyoza (éLŽq), shoronpo, nikumanjuu (“÷é\“ª), etc.

RockLee
Jun 25, 2005, 13:29
well 1 thing they are getting more fat is because a lot of Chinese youth make instant noodles and go to KFC/Mc Donalds ALLLLL the time...sometimes they are just too lazy to make food so they choose the FASTFOOD way, especially when the exams are coming... :souka:

bossel
Jun 27, 2005, 08:55
There is a big gap between North and South China regarding rice consumption.
That's true, actually. Most of my Chinese friends are from the South, therefore I may have a certain prejudice. I stand corrected (although, from a German perspective, even the North Chinese still seem to eat a large amount of rice).

Anyway, I don't think that either Southern or Northern Chinese suffer from obesity due to their traditional cuisine. It's probably mostly fast food with a certain lack of physical activity that does it.

cicatriz esp
Jun 27, 2005, 14:27
This will also not help China if it hopes to be a first world superpower:


In China, cigarettes are a kind of wonder drug
by GEOFFREY YORK

Saturday, June 11, 2005 Updated at 3:27 AM EDT

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Guiyang, China ・Here's some exciting medical news from the Chinese government: Smoking is great for your health.

Cigarettes, according to China's tobacco authorities, are an excellent way to prevent ulcers.

They also reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, relieve schizophrenia, boost your brain cells, speed up your thinking, improve your reactions and increase your working efficiency.

And all those warnings about lung cancer? Nonsense.

You're more likely to get cancer from cooking smoke than from your cigarette habit.

Welcome to the bizarre parallel universe of China's state-owned tobacco monopoly, the world's most successful cigarette-marketing agency.

With annual sales of 1.8 trillion cigarettes, the Chinese monopoly is responsible for almost one-third of all cigarettes smoked on the planet today.

If you believe the official website of the tobacco monopoly, cigarettes are a kind of miracle drug: solving your health problems, helping your lifestyle, strengthening the equality of women, and even eliminating loneliness and depression.

鉄moking removes your troubles and worries,・says a 37-year-old female magazine editor, quoted approvingly on the website. Holding a cigarette is like having a walking stick in your hand, giving you support.

轍uitting smoking would bring you misery, shortening your life.・

Such statements are widely believed in China.

Two-thirds of Chinese men are smokers, and surveys show that as many as 90 per cent believe their habit has little effect on their health, or is good for them.

Even in China's medical community, 60 per cent of male doctors are smokers. Few are aware of the studies forecasting that cigarettes will soon be responsible for one-third of all premature deaths among Chinese men.

Little wonder that Western tobacco companies are hungrily circling the Chinese market, lobbying eagerly for entry into this lucrative market of 360 million smokers, the biggest market in the world.

So far, 99 per cent of the market is controlled by the Chinese monopoly, but Western tobacco companies are convinced they will soon crack it, especially now that China is a member of the World Trade Organization and is obliged to reduce its tariffs on foreign cigarettes.

For the anti-smoking movement, China is the ultimate challenge. Nonetheless, this week, a group of Canadian experts arrived in southwestern China in a bid to convince Chinese smokers that cigarettes might not be quite as beneficial as they believe.

They distributed anti-smoking posters, visited cancer patients, showed the graphic warnings on Canadian cigarette packs, and lectured on how the anti-smoking campaign has reduced Canada's lung-cancer rate. But they admitted that they face an uphill struggle in a country where the tobacco industry provides 60 million jobs and 10 per cent of national tax revenue.

The magnitude of the problem is overwhelming,・said Jean Couture, a Quebec surgeon who has been travelling to China since 1990 to work on cancer-education programs.

In China today, the economy comes first and everything else is secondary, including health care,・Dr. Couture said. You wonder if anyone in the government is conscious of how great the smoking problem is. There's no public education program. The Chinese anti-smoking association is very weak and has almost no money. Within 20 years, China could have the majority of all smoking deaths in the world.・

Chinese doctors have called Dr. Couture a 都econd Norman Bethune・・a reference to the Canadian surgeon who became a Chinese hero after dying while giving care to Chinese Communist soldiers in 1939. The Quebec doctor, who has helped create an 80-bed cancer unit at a hospital in northeastern China, is now leading an anti-smoking campaign in four Chinese provinces.

When the Canadians arrived this week in Guizhou province in southwestern China, they were worried about the power of the local tobacco industry. The province is filled with tobacco farms and cigarette factories. As they distributed posters at a hospital in one of Guizhou's biggest cities yesterday, the Canadians saw a number of people smoking in the hospital. A hospital shop was openly selling cigarettes.

典he tobacco industry is so huge and the anti-tobacco movement is so weak,・said Mark Rowswell, a Canadian television personality and Chinese celebrity (under the name Da Shan), who helps promote the anti-smoking campaign. What we're doing is just a drop in the ocean.・

While smoking rates have fallen sharply in Canada in the past two decades, the rate in China is still rising.

典en years ago, when we first came to China, it was unheard of for young women to smoke,・said Nicole Magnan, executive director of the Quebec division of the Canadian Cancer Society, who was in the Canadian delegation this week. Now there are more and more of them.・

While China has proclaimed that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be a smoke-free Olympics, it has done little to discourage smoking. The number of Chinese smokers is growing by three million a year, despite an estimated 1.3 million tobacco-related deaths annually.

Chinese cigarettes are cheap ・as little as 30 cents a pack ・and the health warnings are hidden in small print on the sides of the packages. Though cigarette advertising is technically illegal, tobacco companies are allowed to promote their corporate names. When sprinter Liu Xiang won a gold medal for China at the Athens Olympics last summer, he promptly went out and filmed a television commercial for China's biggest cigarette company.

Children can easily buy cigarettes at Chinese shops, despite an official ban on sales to those under the age of 18. Shop owners never refuse to sell us cigarettes,・said one 16-year-old boy who was smoking as he played pool near a Guizhou school this week.

They only care about money.・

Che Chuangao, a construction worker, started smoking when he was 20. 溺ore than 90 per cent of my friends smoked, so I couldn't be different,・he said. 鄭nd it's helpful for my work. Offering a cigarette is a social greeting, whenever you meet a friend or a stranger. I know that smoking isn't good. Once I stopped smoking for a month or two. But my friends persuaded me to smoke again.・

While their task is daunting, the Canadians are scoring some small successes. After listening to a speech by the Canadians this week, 27-year-old medical student Li Dongbo said he was inspired to work on anti-smoking projects.


Gotta love the honesty of the Chinese government. I'd post the link to this article, but it doesn't work anymore.

Pachipro
Jun 27, 2005, 14:45
Within 20 years, China could have the majority of all smoking deaths in the world.E......The number of Chinese smokers is growing by three million a year, despite an estimated 1.3 million tobacco-related deaths annually.
Interesting article. This should've been it's own thread though as there will probably be many comments on it. Anyway, referring to the quotes above, with the severe over population in China, and their having one-sixth of the world's population, maybe this is their way of reducing the population. Just a thought.

lexico
Jun 27, 2005, 15:00
Interesting article. This should've been it's own thread though as there will probably be many comments on it. Anyway, referring to the quotes above, with the severe over population in China, and their having one-sixth of the world's population, maybe this is their way of reducing the population. Just a thought.I like the humor which I can resonate. As for your last comment, I'd like to give my favorite quote from myself.
That deadly thing ought to be reduced. The enlightened ones must take the lead. I always knew that it helped sustain my emotional harmony; but now I know it helps to prevent a plethora of obscure physical illnesses as well. Perhaps scientists should study new ways to deliver health benefits via the fuming medium ? One scary possibility would be the control over smokers by the smoke manufacturers ? Am I sedated ??? :?:D

Kara_Nari
Jun 27, 2005, 15:31
Its possible that with all of the 'Fast foods' available that over consumption of such can cause obesity, I also think that the amount of chemicals/hormone drugs pumped into animals bred for consumption have something to do with this. Because of overpopulation there is a larger need for more beef, chicken etc... and to cater for these extra people the battery farms are needing to pump out more meat, and a lot faster too, hence the reason why they see fit to use hormones. Surely these hormones are beefing up the people eating the meat? I dont have any quotes to back me up, its just my thinking.... and not necessarily aimed at china, sort of a world wide epidemic creeping up. Just when I was in New Zealand we noticed that the younger generation eat a lot more KFC, and the girls seem to be 'developing' alot faster.

RockLee
Jun 27, 2005, 20:01
This will also not help China if it hopes to be a first world superpower:



Gotta love the honesty of the Chinese government. I'd post the link to this article, but it doesn't work anymore.
yeah I saw it posted on a Chinese board yesterday !! In my opinion it's the biggest load of crap just to keep people smoking.

bossel
Jun 28, 2005, 09:49
Gotta love the honesty of the Chinese government. I'd post the link to this article, but it doesn't work anymore.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20050611.CHINA11/BNStory/Idx/

You cut off a bit at the end, as it seems:

"The student's uncle, who had smoked for 30 years, died of lung cancer in February. To spare his feelings, his family had never told him the truth about his illness.

"I was shocked," Mr. Li said. "The government should be doing more. We need promotion campaigns to tell people about it.""


Now that is interesting, when I try to reach the page via the above link in the forum, it doesn't work. The same URL via Google works (but not the cached page). :? There is some secret technology I don't understand at work. For all those who want to read the article, I suggest to use Google instead of my link (or you could register for free with globeandmail).

quiet sunshine
Jun 28, 2005, 22:12
I think everyone here knows that smoking is harmful to health, including my 11 year old niece, she has known that for quite a few years. Who would believe smoking is great for health?

"The student's uncle, who had smoked for 30 years, died of lung cancer in February. To spare his feelings, his family had never told him the truth about his illness.
This is a familiar phenomenon, when someone got a incurable disease, his or her family might choose not telling the truth, they thought that would keep the patient in good mood thus the patient could live a little longer, usually the patient would figure out finally.

Minty
Feb 26, 2006, 11:29
Americans are fatter than the Europeans because they eat too much! Eating has become a hobby here and there is no regard to nutritional content whatsoever.
In America, their fast food is cheap so people buy more and donft bother to cook. In France for example if you go to eat at a fast food joint or if you go eat in a traditional restaurant, fast food is not cheaper and people prefer to eat their traditional French food rather than junk.
If Chinese in China are getting fat it must be them copying the American way of life. The last time I checked people of China admired America. They love Disneyland, McDonalds coca cola, star buckscetc.
I donft think having a traditional Chinese diet is fattening. It depends on what you eat, there are high fat ones and there are low fat ones. If you want to stay slim stick with foods that are steam, braise, boil and a bit of stir fry is ok. If you like to eat food that is fried, deep fried and majority of your diet consists of those you are likely to be fat. But there is also metabolism rate and lifestyle. People in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singaporecetc walk a lot to work, study and they work on weekends too. However eating high fat foods in moderation with a healthy lifestyle of physical activity such as walking will not get you fat.

One thing that comes to mind is China's low reliance on rice. I think the heavy reliance on rice in Japan and Korea is widely different from the variety of staples in the diets of US and China where there isn't such a strong preference for rice. I really don't know how else this might be related to obesity per se though. It might be that their diet is somewhat healthier because it's more diversified ?

Is rice so much more prevalent in Korea & Japan that it makes
China's reliance on rice look comparatively low?
Actually the Southern Chinese have strong reliance on rice, the northerners eat noodles and Chinese steamed bread. But this is not the cause I think, it is the American fast-food industries that is spreading in China.

I confirm that kimchi is becoming quite popular in Japan. My wife and I just love it. Whenever I pass through Incheon Airport, I see loads of Japanese buying kimchi as "omiyage". In fact, the Korean staff selling it greet customers in Japanese assuming only Japanese will buy it at the airport !
Kim Chi is just one of the items brought by the Korean wave that is very popular among not just Japanese but East Asians in general at the moment. I like Kim chi, but I like it because it taste good to me I am not following any trend or anything.

There is a big gap between North and South China regarding rice consumption. Most Chinese restaurants in Western countries are the Southern type, with mostly rice. I noticed that Chinese restaurants in Japan, and especially expensive ones, mainly serve fried rice as the last dish of a long course, with no rice during the rest of the course. Chinese food in Japan means more "men" (–Ë), gyoza (éLŽq), shoronpo, nikumanjuu (“÷é\“ª), etc.
Yep, thatfs true.

Anyway, I don't think that either Southern or Northern Chinese suffer from obesity due to their traditional cuisine. It's probably mostly fast food with a certain lack of physical activity that does it.
Yes that is what I am thinking as well.
On the subject of smoking I donft smoke but a lot of my family members do for some reason.