Higher visceral adiposity index score linked to increased risk for all-cause mortality
Adults with a higher visceral adiposity index score have an increased risk for all-cause mortality as well as some cause-specific mortalities, according to data from the UK Biobank.
“In the last few years, assessment of the visceral fat mainly depended on MRI and CT, which could estimate the visceral fat with high accuracy. However, these methods are inconvenient, not eco-friendly, and not cost-effective and, thus, are rarely adopted to detect visceral fat in clinical practice and large-scale epidemiological surveys,” Yueping Shen, PhD, of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics, School of Public Health at the Medical College of Soochow University in China, and colleagues wrote in a study published in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. “Therefore, visceral adiposity index could be a simple and accessible tool to accurately reflect visceral fat. This method can contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of visceral adipose tissue in the pathophysiological processes of mortality, and its low-cost and predictive value in mortality would prompt more consideration among policymakers.”
Researchers analyzed data from 357,457 adults aged 38 to 73 years who participated in the UK Biobank from 2006 to 2010 (mean age, 55.9 years). Visceral adiposity index (VAI) was calculated using waist circumference, BMI, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides measured at baseline. A higher VAI score indicates a higher amount of visceral adipose tissue. The study cohort was divided into quartiles based on their VAI score. Mortality data were obtained from death certificates from the National Health Service Information Centre and the National Health Service Central Register Scotland from baseline until Jan. 1, 2021.
There were 18,185 deaths during the follow-up period, with 52.2% caused by cancer, 18.8% caused by cardiovascular disease and 29.1% were deaths from other causes.
After adjusting for confounders, participants in the highest quartile for VAI had an increased risk for all-cause mortality (adjusted HR = 1.2; 95% CI, 1.15-1.26), cancer mortality (aHR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.15-1.3) and CVD mortality (aHR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.31-1.62) compared with those in the lowest quartile. Adults in the highest VAI quartile also had an increased risk for bronchial and lung cancer mortality (aHR = 1.51; 95% CI, 1.31-1.75) and ischemic heart disease mortality (aHR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.49-2.04). No associations were found with other cancer or CVD subtypes.
In stratified analysis, a significantly increased risk for mortality for participants in the highest VAI quartile compared with the lowest quartile was observed in men (aHR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.27-1.47), adults younger than 65 years (aHR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.3) and those with a BMI less than 25 kg/m2 (aHR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.2-1.44).
“Our findings showed that the VAI score was positively associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortalities in a large prospective cohort study in the U.K.,” the researchers wrote. “VAI score might be a complementary traditional predictive indicator for screening the risk of adverse health events in the population of Western adults aged 38 years and older.”
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