Cardiometabolic Risk of Visceral Fat Obesity and Factors Influencing Visceral Fat in Overweight or Obese Middle-Aged Korean Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: Middle-aged women often experience weight gain, particularly as visceral fat, due to hormonal changes associated with menopause.Visceral fat, which accumulates in the abdomen, poses significant risks to cardiometabolic health.This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the cardiometabolic risks associated with Visceral Fat Obesity (VFO) and Subcutaneous Fat Obesity (SFO) in middle-aged Korean women and to identify factors that influence VFO.Methods: Women aged 40 to 64 with overweight or obesity were recruited from March to April 2019.The study involved anthropometric measurements, fasting blood tests, and low-volume abdominal computed tomography.Additionally, participants provided self-reported sociodemographic, health-related, and lifestyle information, including Physical Activity (PA) and dietary intake.Results: Of all participants, 70.8% were post-menopausal, and 55.1% had VFO.Those with VFO exhibited significantly higher mean values for waist circumference, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and the Framingham risk score compared to those with SFO.The factors influencing VFO were age (odds ratio (OR)=1.14;95% confidence interval (CI), 1.032~1.247),body mass index (OR=1.47;95% CI, 1.151 ~1.875), days of vigorous PA per week (OR=0.42;95% CI, 0.244~0.735),and intake of animal calcium (OR=0.99;95% CI, 0.988~0.997).Conclusion: The findings indicate that middle-aged women with VFO face increased cardiometabolic risks.Since menopause is inevitable in women, targeting modifiable behaviors to reduce weight, particularly visceral fat, is crucial for lowering cardiometabolic risk.