Significance of the Visceral Adiposity Index and Other Indicators in Identifying Metabolic Subtypes

Objective: Metabolic phenotypes associated with high cardiovascular risk have been described. The visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a simple indicator of increased visceral adipose tissue using anthropometric and lipid parameters. The role of the VAI score was analyzed to identify metabolic phenotypes. Methods: The clinical and biochemical parameters and anthropometric measurements of 200 sexmatched patients were retrospectively reviewed. The study population was grouped into 4 groups according to their body mass index and metabolic syndrome criteria: metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy obese (MUHO), metabolically unhealthy nonobese (MUHNO), and metabolically healthy nonobese (MHNO). The patient's VAI scores were calculated. Results: The VAI scores of the MUHNO group were greater than those of the MUHO and MHNO groups in males. The VAI scores of the MHO group were lower than the MUHO and MHNO groups in females. Waist circumference predicted the MUHNO group from the healthy group in men and the MHNO group from the unhealthy group in females. A VAI score higher than 5.69 and WC higher than 93 cm were described as the cutoff points to identify the MUHNO patients among the study population in males. A VAI score lower than 4.89 and WC lower than 90 cm as the cutoff point to identify the MHO patients from the unhealthy group were described in females. Conclusion: The VAI score is a simple technique for defining individuals with high cardiovascular risk, although it may not describe all unhealthy patients. Waist circumference is still an important factor for predicting an unhealthy cardiovascular profile.