Japanese-Americans are more likely to accumulate fat in their liver and abdomen compared to other ethnicities.
That's according to the latest research from the University of Hawaii's Cancer Center.
Researchers collected data from nearly 2,000 participants from Hawaii and California from 2013 to 2016. Researchers measured participants body fat distribution by using whole-body composition imaging and MRI scans of their abdomen.
Fat in these areas can lead to more serious health problems – such as diabetes and several types of cancer.
They found that liver fat and abdominal fat varied significantly with ethinicity, but was highest in Japanese-Americans or Asian-Americans.
Unhee Lim is an Epidemiologist at the UH Cancer Center, and lead author of the study. She says the results are consistent with other studies done measuring fat distribution in people.
Lim says they're working to find more effective ways to reduce fat in those areas.
