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April 16, 2026Vascular Health and Risk Management0 citationsOpen Access

Metabolic Scores for Visceral Fat and Their Impact on Arterial Stiffness

Association Between Metabolic Scores for Visceral Fat and Arterial Stiffness

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Why the study?

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between arterial stiffness and the metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF).

Is a higher metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF) associated with increased arterial stiffness in adult participants?

Population

3782 participants from a health examination center and general practice/geriatrics departments

Comparison

METS-VF quartiles Q1 through Q4

Design

Cross-sectional study

Key result

Participants in the highest quartile of the metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF) had a significantly increased risk of arterial stiffness compared to the lowest quartile (OR 1.38).

Authors

FLFang LiuBLBeijia Lin黄黄文晖

Discussion

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Overview

May improve arterial stiffness risk stratification over BMI; extends METS-VF evidence but requires prospective validation.

Key Points

  • To examine the relationship between arterial stiffness and the metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF).
  • Cross-sectional study design
  • Enrolled 3782 participants
  • Calculated METS-VF using metabolic scores
  • Evaluated arterial stiffness via carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV)
  • Used regression analyses and ROC curve to assess associations
  • Arterial stiffness increased with higher METS-VF quartiles (Q1: 19.98%, Q2: 28.68%, Q3: 37.99%, Q4: 49.37%)
  • Independent association between METS-VF and cfPWV (β = 0.19)
  • Participants in Q4 showed significantly increased odds of higher arterial stiffness (OR = 1.38)
  • METS-VF outperformed BMI and waist-to-height ratio in discriminative ability for arterial stiffness

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=3,782)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Is a higher metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF) associated with increased arterial stiffness in adult participants?

P
Population
3,782 participants from a health examination center and general practice/geriatrics departments, mean age 59.42, 62.96% male, based in China.
I
Intervention
Higher metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF) quartiles
C
Comparator
Lowest METS-VF quartile (Q1)
O
Outcome
Arterial stiffness defined as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) of ≥ 10 m/ssurrogate

METS-VF is independently associated with arterial stiffness and offers superior discriminative ability compared to traditional indices like BMI and waist-to-height ratio.

Main Result

Effect estimate: OR 1.38 (95% CI 1.06 ~ 1.79)

Absolute Event Rate: 49.37% vs 19.98%

p-value: p=0.016

Limitations

  • Observational, cross-sectional, and single-center design precludes causal inference.
  • Participants were recruited exclusively from southern China, which may limit generalizability to other geographic or ethnic populations.
  • METS-VF does not capture precise anatomical fat distribution.
  • Potential confounding factor of lipid-lowering medication.
  • Causality requires further investigation due to cross-sectional design

Cite This Study

Liu et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Arterial stiffness (n=3,782). Highest quartile of METS-VF (Q4) vs. Lowest quartile of METS-VF (Q1, < 6.47) was evaluated on Arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity ≥ 10 m/s) (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.06 ~ 1.79, p=0.016). Participants in the highest quartile of the metabolic syndrome-related visceral fat index (METS-VF) had a significantly increased risk of arterial stiffness compared to the lowest quartile (OR 1.38).

synapsesocial.com/papers/69e07d732f7e8953b7cbe695https://doi.org/10.2147/vhrm.s588273
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