Korea has most 'skinny fat' young women: report

South Korea has the highest percentage of "skinny fat” women in their 20s out of 17 countries surveyed, according to a report.

According to InBody, a South Korean maker of body composition analyzers, a person is described as "skinny fat" when they have a low body weight but are high in their body fat percentage and low in their muscle mass.

Data collected between January 2018 and December 2022 showed 15.8 percent of South Korean women in their 20s fall within this category.

In the US, only 2.1 percent of the same demographic were categorized as skinny fat, while the figures for Canada and the UK stood at 4.8 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively.

The report attributed restrictive diets without strength training as the primary catalysts for the prevalence of skinny fat young women in South Korea. Such dietary patterns can lead to muscle loss, ultimately lowering one's basal metabolic rate, or calories burnt, and making it easier to gain weight in the long run.

Citing the pressure to be thin -- particularly among young women -- in South Korea, the report further talked about the role of social norms in fostering an unhealthy diet and exercise habits.

For this reason, it also showed that those with low body weight, high body fat and low muscle mass are more prevalent in Asian nations. Following the highest percentage in South Korea were Thailand (15.2 percent), Malaysia (14.2 percent), Japan (12.4 percent) and China (12.1 percent), among the 17 countries studied.

The report also sheds light on the inadequacy of relying solely on the body mass index as an indicator of good health. Even individuals with a normal BMI can be categorized as skinny fat and be unhealthy. For instance, if fat accumulates around one's organs, it can elevate the risk of conditions like diabetes and hypertension.