Visceral adiposity index as a tool for cardiometabolic risk in obese older women

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To correlate anthropometric measurements, lipid profile, cardiorespiratory fitness, and visceral adiposity index (VAI) in sedentary obese older women. METHODS: Twenty-seven insufficiently active and overweight older women were included in this cross-sectional study. We evaluated their anthropometric profile (body weight and stature, body mass index, waist and hip circumferences) and body composition (fat mass, body fat percentage, and musculoskeletal mass). Venous blood samples were analyzed for high and low-density lipoproteins (HDL-c and LDL-c), triglycerides (TG), and the LDL/HDL ratio. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) was measured using an adapted Bruce test using direct spirometry. We tested data normality and applied Pearson’s correlation, assuming a p ≤ 0.05. RESULS: The following correlations were observed: VAI and HDL (r = -0.53); VAI and LDL (r = 0.35); VAI and TG (r = 0.86); VAI and TG/HDL (r = 0.99) and VAI and VO2 peak (r = -0.55), with p < 0.01 for all analyses. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that VAI may be used as a tool to assess cardiometabolic risk in obese older women. Future studies should evaluate the applicability of VAI as a cardiometabolic risk factor indicator in older adults.

The applicability of the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) for predicting visceral fat

“…Although several studies confirm the usefulness of using VAI in populations of different races and ethnicities, it is necessary that previous validation occurs in population groups different from the one in which it was validated 11 , since fat distribution varies between genders, age, and race 1 . In Brazil, some studies have used VAI as a cardiometabolic risk marker 12,13 , but few evaluated its applicability compared to a reference method in the Brazilian population. In this context, the objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of VAI in a Brazilian sample.…”