South Asians are more likely to be skinny fat — slim outside, fat inside — and that raises the risk of type 2 diabetes. Let’s be real: South Asians are champions at looking slim on the outside while secretly stacking fat on the inside which puts them at high risk.
Yep, the dreaded skinny fat. Blame history (famines trained our bodies to hoard every calorie and to have high fat stores for survival), blame genetics (our fat cells love being overachievers), and blame lifestyle (too much sitting, not enough lifting).
To all my brown people: don’t resist the resistance!
Strength training is one of the best tools we’ve got to fight back against our higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. Get the right program, built for your heritage and your body, and you’ll stay healthier for longer, while actually looking the part too.
Want help building a plan that actually works for your body, not against it? Book a free consult
If you’re South Asian, it’s likely you’ve been told your body looks slim, but it carries more fat than meets the eye. This isn’t just anecdotal; research shows South Asians often have a higher percentage of body fat, even at the same BMI as Europeans. One PLOS ONE study found South Asians had 22% total body fat compared to 15% in Caucasians, even with similar BMI and age PLOS. Their fat cells (adipocytes) were also larger, indicating your body is more prone to storing fat PLOS.
For South Asians, the risk for Type 2 diabetes starts much earlier and at lower weights than in white European populations. In one study of young Indian adults, insulin resistance was 2 to 3 times higher than among Caucasians, even at similar BMI levels Nature+15PMC+15Nature+15.
Visceral fat (around the organs) is especially high, and this kind of fat is much more metabolically active raising your risk of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes PMC+1. South Asians tend to accumulate abdominal and subcutaneous fat more than Europeans, a pattern known as ”thin-fat” phenotype PLOS+15ScienceDirect+15Diabetes Journals+15.
A widely discussed explanation is the “thrifty gene” hypothesis: historically, populations in famine-prone regions like parts of South Asia – evolved genes that allowed efficient fat storage to survive lean times. In today’s food-rich world, that same tendency works against us.
More recent genetic studies have pinpointed variants in genes like MSTN (Myostatin) that may reduce muscle mass in people of South Asian ancestry Nature. Low birth weight and its strong link to lower adult lean mass, also suggests possible epigenetic influences at play across generations Nature.
Good news: when skinny fat South Asians do strength training, their muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response is comparable to white Europeans PMC+15Nature+15PubMed+15. But some studies indicate they may experience blunted improvements in body fat reduction, VO₂ max, and upper-body strength compared to Europeans after the same resistance training program Nature+2PubMed+2.
So while ability to build muscle isn’t impaired, the metabolic gains from exercise might be slightly less pronounced, which means smart programming really pays off.
| Factor | Implication for South Asians |
|---|---|
| High body fat at low BMI | ‘Skinny fat’ despite appearing lean |
| Visceral fat & insulin resistance | Higher early Type 2 diabetes risk |
| Genetic/epigenetic factors | Born predisposed to fat storage and lower muscle |
| Response to training | Good muscle gains, but smaller fat/metabolic shifts |
Bottom line: some South Asians described as skinny fat might be genetically wired to store fat, but you’re not locked into it. Train smart, eat for your body, and stop ignoring the weights section.
Want help building a plan that actually works for your body, not against it? Send me an Email with your goals and what you have already tried.
