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Excess body fat is frequently associated with dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hypertension. These disorders tend to cluster in what is called the “metabolic syndrome,” a major predictor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is evidence suggesting that at any given percentage of body fat, Chinese individuals exhibit a more severe expression of the metabolic syndrome than white Western populations.
The China Nutrition Transition Study was aimed at quantifying and comparing obesity and related disorders in Chinese populations living in urban or rural environments. Studies were conducted in Jing’an District, Shanghai; Wuning County of Jiangxi Province; and Chaohu County of Anhui Province. The comprehensive data collection included dietary intake, physical activity, lifestyle, body composition, and a series of biochemical tests to quantify each component of the metabolic syndrome. These data provided a clearer picture of the patterns of the metabolic syndrome in urban and rural areas, and the data will allow a more effective use of simple indicators to predict risk of chronic diseases.
A study of this magnitude would not have been possible without invaluable personal and institutional collaboration in the field. Prof. Chunming Chen, from the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control, was instrumental in putting the study in the agenda and facilitating its initial implementation. Our colleagues, Drs. Gonghuan Yang, Wenjuan Wang, and Jiemin Ma, provided invaluable input into the study design, and their assistance during field data collection was critical as well. Our project coordinator, Youxue Liu, undertook the challenging task of insuring that all elements of the study were in place and on time. Finally, the Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University had the vision to provide the core funding for this study.
We hope that the findings of the China Nutrition Transition Study will provide useful information on the impact of the transition on China.