Abstract
BACKGROUND: Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a novel gender-specific
index based on waist circumference (WC), BMI, and lipid parameters.
Although VAI does not actually estimate visceral adiposity, it
accurately reflects visceral fat function and insulin resistance. This
index has not been studied in children thus far. This study aims to fill
this gap.
METHODS: In a cohort of Saudi children and adolescents, anthropometric
measurements and metabolic/hormonal profile were obtained.
RESULTS: A total of 543 subjects, 292 of whom were boys, were included
(mean age: 11.9 +/- 3.3 y; BMI: 19.8 +/- 5.6 kg/m(2)). In all subjects,
VAI was inferior to BMI and WC regarding its correlations with
adiponectin, leptin, insulin resistance (homeostasis model of assessment
insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and
systolic blood pressure, but it exhibited a stronger association with
glucose in boys (r = 0.23; P < 0.01). In stepwise multivariate analyses,
only BMI was consistent as an independent predictor of adiponectin,
leptin, HOMA-IR, and CRP. VAI was the only index independently
associated with glucose.
CONCLUSION: Although VAI is related to glucose in children, it seems to
be inferior to BMI in terms of association with insulin resistance,
adipokines, and subclinical inflammation. Until specific studies can be
performed in children, VAI should be extrapolated with caution in this
age range.