Nutritionists warn that Chinese food is no healthier than Western food, and in some cases, contains more oil and fat. Photo: Li Hao/GT

While China's growing obesity problem isn't news to those who have been paying attention, health experts in the country are pointing to a number of previously underexamined social and cultural reasons for China's expanding waistline.

According to the findings of a wide-ranging study in medical journal the Lancet earlier this month, more than 300 million people in China are overweight, and obesity in the country has reached 10 percent. The study comes on the heels of comments made in January by Li Keji, a professor of public health at Peking University, that more than 40 percent of China's adult urban population is obese.

But while one of the most popular explanations for China's growing obesity problem puts the blame on the widespread accessibility to Western fast foods and processed foods in recent years, nutritionists are now saying that this does not explain the full extent of the problem.

Yang Wenjiao, a Beijing-based nutritionist, said a number of social and cultural factors were also responsible for growing obesity in China. "Less exercise, poor awareness about nutrition, and increased consumption of junk food are the main reasons for Chinese people's increasing body weight."

Wang Xianglong, a 27-year-old engineer in Beijing, is among the growing number of people who are overweight.

He said almost all the male members in his family, including his grandfather, father and brother were overweight, as well as roughly half of the 60 colleagues in his work unit. "I like Chinese food best and seldom eat any Western food," said Wang. "[But] I think if I ate more Western food, I would be even fatter." 

More than 300 million people in China are currently overweight, and obesity in the country has reached 10 percent. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Not healthier than Western food

Bian Huawei, head nutritionist at The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, said that it was a common misconception that Chinese food was healthier than Western food.

In a November 2013 tencent.com report, Bian noted that although traditional Chinese food uses fewer animal fats compared to most Western dishes, many Chinese restaurants nowadays use excessive quantities of oil and salt to make dishes more flavorful.

"Most cooking methods used in Chinese cuisine, such as deep-frying and roasting, use an excessive amount of oil," said Bian. "Even for the dishes that are cooked in a healthier manner - such as steaming - oil-based sauces are often poured over the top to add flavor."

Bian mentioned youtiao (fried bread stick) and congyoubing (green onion pancakes) as examples of traditional, commonly-eaten dishes that are unhealthy. 

In September 2013, the Ministry of Health published a report that the average daily fat intake of people living in urban areas was 85.5 grams. This exceeds the Chinese Nutrition Society's recommended daily intake of 59 grams for men and 49 grams for women.

The report noted that 44 grams of a Chinese person's average daily intake of fat was consumed through edible oils.

Besides being fatty, Chinese foods are also frequently high in calories, according to a 2007 study conducted by US-based NGO the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The report noted that an average serving of six steamed pork dumplings contains more than 500 calories, and an average serving of stir-fried green vegetable contains more than 900 calories.

The recommended daily intake is 2,550 calories for men, and 2,200 calories for women, according to the Chinese Nutrition Society.

Cultural complications

Yang said another overlooked factor contributing to obesity in China was the fact that gutter oil has been known to be used for cooking in some smaller restaurants. Gutter oil - which is recycled from used waste oil - contains more trans-fatty acids, a substance which increases the risks of obesity, blood clot, and coronary heart disease, said Yang.

"[Trans-fatty acids] are usually produced when oil is heated to a high temperature," said Yang. "The process of distilling gutter oil to be used again involves reheating waste oil at a high temperature, multiplying the quantity of trans-fatty acids found in normal cooking oil."

Another issue, said Yang, was Chinese people's habit of sharing food on a table, rather than each person being allocated individual servings for meals. Besides making it difficult for people to know how much they have eaten, they are also usually encouraged to eat more.

"You have to eat everything that other people, especially older family members or colleagues, put on your plate, no matter how much you dislike it and how full you are, or else you'll be seen as rude," said Wang. "Every time I eat with my grandparents, they pile my bowl as high as a mountain with meat. I always have to finish it to make them happy."

Wang added that when eating in formal social gatherings, it was customary that the hosts would order dishes that were considered decadent. Such dishes are usually high in oil and fat content.

"Chinese people can't invite guests to dinner in a restaurant and then order plain or home-style dishes, such as scrambled eggs with tomato," said Wang. "Whenever there is a business dinner with clients, we have to go to a fine-dining restaurant and order a full table of meat, fish and alcohol - which is pretty unhealthy. But we have no other choice."

Processed foods

Yang said along with processed Western foods, the industry for processed Chinese foods was a major factor in the country's growing obesity problem.

"With the development of China's economy, the processed food industry [has grown massively]," said Yang. "Nutritionists always encourage people to eat more natural, unprocessed foods, but the fact is, people are eating more and more processed foods which are high in calories, fat and sugar."

In Fat China, an in-depth analysis of China's growing obesity problem, authors Paul French and Matthew Crabbe identify the increased consumption of processed foods among the urban middle-class as one of the reasons for the country's expanding waistline. The authors speculate in the book that by 2020, 29.3 percent of China's population will be overweight, and obesity will reach 15.9 percent.

According to Yang, one of the first steps that need to be taken to prevent this eventuality is to bolster legislation on processed food.

"In many Western countries, processed food producers are required to clearly label products with their nutritional information, including the amount of trans-fatty acids," said Yang.

"In China, [this isn't the case]. Many nutritionists have lobbied to make it compulsory for food producers to include such information, but it seems that no one cares."

Yang said that the importance of nutritional labels was that it allowed people to have a clear idea of their daily intake of calories and fats.

"I once saw a cookie that was marketed as being 'healthy,' because it contained coarse grains, was high fiber and so on," said Yang. "But when I read the nutritional label, I was surprised to learn that for every 100 grams, the cookie contained 24.9 grams of fat."

For people who want to stay healthy, Yang said the most important factors are to keep a proper diet and exercise regularly. For most people, this means eating less meat, and paying attention to the ways in which the foods they are consuming are prepared.

"Eating no meat at all isn't healthy, and people don't have to cut all heavy-seasoned or oily dishes out of their diet, but they should make sure they eat no more than one such dish per meal," said Yang. "A healthy diet is balanced, and it should be mainly composed of light-flavored and vegetarian dishes."