This one is more fun and for me; keep reading for a bit of nerdy hypothesizing. Topic is epigenetics.
I am piecing together various research as relevant to me and my story, as well as my business.
One of the current struggles I have with western based research is that Asians only represent 7% of the population in USA, and thus I think often gets lost in the data.
:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31005627/
“Environmental stressors, such as childhood maltreatment, have been recognized to contribute to the development of depression. Growing evidence suggests that epigenetic changes are a key mechanism by which stressors interact with the genome leading to stable changes in DNA structure, gene expression, and behaviour.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7803598/
“We propose a novel theory, the Malaysian gene-environment multiplier hypothesis, which explains how ancestral variations in feast-and-famine cycles contribute to inherited genetic predispositions that, when acted on by modern-day stressors—most notably, urbanization, westernization, lifestyle changes, dietary transitions, cultural pressures, and stress—contribute to increased visceral adiposity in Asian populations”
Hypothesis: Stress, particularly stress in kids, causes different gene expressions. With an entire continent experiencing various major events in the mid-ish 1900s (World War 2, British in India, Vietnam War, Cultural Revolution in China, Korean War, World War Japan, etc). There was an opportunity for a continental normalization of scarcity mindsets.
With such widespread phenomena, was there a normalization of epigenetic and cultural changes, that may mask physical and mental illnesses? aka if everybody is hurt, everybody is ‘normal’?
With the genetic expression changes, does any of that contribute to cultural acceptance and understanding of various vices (particularly, drinking, smoking and gambling?) aka we might not agree with said habits, but we unconsciously accept them as trying to fill needs?
Does this vicious cycle of depression and body shaming contribute more expressed asian skinny fat in each successive generation?
Historically, respect to elders has some component that they were “living libraries” and had “seen some shit”, therefore were centers of guidance of the community and next generation. As values shift harder and faster (More blending and connecting) with each new generation, this often clashes with the older generation. How are these clashes shaping each new generations values?