Why do South Asians carry more belly fat at a lower weight?

Body weight does not tell the whole story, especially for South Asians. Research consistently shows that Indians and other South Asians tend to carry more visceral fat, the deep fat wrapped around the liver and abdominal organs, at any given weight than many European populations. This is the thin-fat or skinny-fat phenotype: someone can look slim and have a normal BMI yet carry a metabolically risky amount of internal fat. Visceral fat is far more harmful than fat under the skin because it drives insulin resistance and inflammation.

The causes are a mix of genetics and early development. Variants influencing fat distribution and insulin sensitivity are part of it, and so is the developmental origins idea: lower birth weight followed by rapid weight gain seems to predispose people to store fat centrally later. This helps explain why type 2 diabetes and heart disease strike South Asians earlier and at lower body weights, and why standard BMI cut-offs underestimate risk in Indians. For this reason, health bodies recommend lower BMI and waist thresholds for South Asians.

The honest takeaway: do not rely on the scale or BMI alone. Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio are better signals for South Asians; keeping your waist below roughly half your height is a useful target. Resistance training, regular movement, protein- and fibre-forward meals and limiting refined carbohydrates specifically reduce visceral fat. You may be a healthy weight on paper and still benefit from targeting the fat you cannot see.