The diet contributes to lower incidences of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The Asian model puts more emphasis on vegetables and less on meat than its rival, though the two are similar in many ways. Osteoporosis can be a particular problem for Asian women, who in general have less bone mass than females in other races and are more vulnerable to loss. Conventional wisdom always had it that a diet high in calcium-rich dairy products was needed for strong bones. But the China study shows that a low intake of animal fat is more important.
Researchers now believe that an animal-based diet actually draws calcium out of bones.
The cloud over all this good news is that the average Asian diet is becoming more Western - and less healthy. Research shows that many more Hong Kong children have become obese in recent years and they now have cholesterol levels that are among the highest in the world. Asian parents use food to show their superiority, so they let their children choose whatever they want to eat, not necessarily what is right for them. The same cultural phenomenon is apparently being played out all over Asia. A study for the International Food Policy Research Institute by Jikun Huang and Howarth Bouis found that eating patterns are changing most dramatically in nations that have experienced the greatest economic gains.