The Visceral Adiposity Index Is a Better Predictor of Excess Visceral Fat in Military Pilots: A Cross-sectional Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is related to cardiometabolic risk. Estimating it using the visceral adiposity index (VAI) could identify this risk in the Brazilian Air Force (BAF) aviator population. The aim here is to verify the predictive capacity of the VAI for identifying visceral fat areas compared to traditional obesity indicators in BAF pilots. Materials and Methods Forty male BAF pilots were recruited. The study was conducted in two stages: the first applied a structured questionnaire to characterize the sample and identify sedentary behavior and the second obtained nutritional, anthropometric, and body composition data, carrying out biochemical and magnetic resonance imaging tests and investigating physical activity level in this stage. The comparison of the predictive capacity of the VAI with that of other adiposity indicators (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference, waist–height ratio, waist–hip ratio, and neck circumference) for detecting increased VAT and the determination of the optimal cutoff points for the different adiposity indicators were carried out using receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curves. An association was verified between the adiposity indicators and excess visceral fat using Poisson regression analysis with robust variance. Results The VAI presented a better predictive capacity for VAT (area under the ROC curve = 0.941), while the BMI did not present diagnostic accuracy (95% CI < 0.5). The strength of the association with high visceral fat was also greater for the VAI than for the other indicators evaluated. Conclusions The VAI was shown to be a better predictor of excess VAT in relation to the other indicators studied. As it is a more easy-access and lower-cost technique than resonance, it enables greater applicability in tracing and monitoring the visceral obesity of a large contingent of military personnel.

The relationship between visceral adiposity index and acute pancreatitis

“…Other indexes, waist circumference (WC) and waist to height ratio are good indicators of abdominal fat, however, they have limitations in distinguishing SAT from VAT. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a mathematical model that consists of BMI, WC, triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), which has been demonstrated to be a better indicator of VAT than other traditional indices [15][16][17].…”