To assess the validity of the criterion of overweight for Asian people that is recommended by Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization .

We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of the association between the criterion of overweight for ethnic Asian people—body mass indices (BMI) of 23.0–24.9 kg/m²—and the presence of obesity-related metabolic disorders among middle-aged Japanese men ( n = 974, age range 51–59).

The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of overweight to those with normal weight (BMI 2) were 1.61 (1.11–2.33) for the presence of impaired glucose tolerance, 1.95 (1.30–2.93) for hypertension, 2.22 (1.63–3.03) for hypercholesterolemia, 2.83 (2.02–3.97) for hypertriglyceridemia, and 2.06 (1.06–4.00) for hyperuricemia. Overweight was not associated with the presence of type 2 diabetes or with high γ-glutamyl transrease in the present study (odds ratios: 1.09 and 1.05, respectively). Adjustment for age, rank, and lifestyle factors affected the results only slightly.

Based on these results, we conclude that the Asian criterion of overweight appears to be rational in terms of its association with obesity-related metabolic disorders in male personnel of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in their fifties.