New indexes of body fat distribution, visceral adiposity index, body adiposity index, waist-to-height ratio, and metabolic disturbances in the obese

Abstract

Background and aim: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between new obesity-related indexes, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and body composition in individuals with obesity.

Methods: The study group consisted of 72 women and 34 men, aged 39.0 ± 5.9 years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 32.6 ± 2.4 kg/m², admitted for body weight reduction. In all participants body weight (BW), height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), BMI, waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), body adiposity index (BAI), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were assessed. Using bioelectrical impedance (BIA, TANITA MC 180M) the following parameters were obtained: the level of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and body fat percentage (FM%). Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG), glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were determined.

Results: It was observed that almost all the studied indicators: WC, WHtR, BAI, VAI, and BMI, positively correlated with VAT estimated by bioimpedance, but only VAI, WC, and WHtR were strongly associated with glucose and lipid disturbances in the obese. BAI and BMI correlated with total FM%, while WC, WHtR, and VAI correlated with total body weight.

Conclusions: The results indicate that VAI, WC, and WHtR can be useful in the assessment of increased VAT accumulation associated with disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolism. BAI should be calculated separately for each sex, then it could be also useful for the prediction of disturbances in glucose metabolism. However, further studies are needed to recognise cut-off values for BAI, as a marker of body fatness, associated with adverse health effects.

Keywords: fat distribution; metabolic disturbances; obesity; obesity-related indexes; visceral adipose tissue.