Could visceral adiposity index, dietary glycemic load and glycemic index be important factors for assessing cardiovascular risk?: A cross-sectional sample of Turkish adults

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the associations of diet quality, dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) with estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in healthy adults. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study included 226 adults aged 40–75 years consecutively recruited from two health-care settings between July and November 2022. Dietary intake was assessed using a single 24-h recall, diet quality using the mean adequacy ratio (MAR) and GI and GL from dietary data. VAI was calculated using sex-specific equations based on waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CVD risk was estimated using systematic coronary risk evaluation 2 (SCORE2)/SCORE2-older persons (SCORE2-OP) models calibrated for the high-risk region and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk estimator plus, including 10-year, lifetime and optimal ASCVD risk estimates. Associations were evaluated using correlation and multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for age and sex. Findings After adjustment for age and sex, GL was positively associated with SCORE2/SCORE2-OP risk (β = 0.115, p = 0.018), but not with 10-year, lifetime or optimal ASCVD risk. VAI was positively associated with SCORE2/SCORE2-OP (β = 0.167, p < 0.001), 10-year ASCVD (β = 0.148, p < 0.001) and lifetime ASCVD risk (β = 0.187, p = 0.004). Diet quality and GI were not significantly associated with cardiovascular risk outcomes. Originality/value This study suggests that dietary GL and visceral adiposity are associated with selected measures of estimated cardiovascular risk, with VAI showing more consistent associations than dietary GL.