The Visceral Adiposity Index and Its Usefulness in the Prediction of Cardiometabolic Disorders

Obesity is currently one of the most critical public health problems. Although there is no doubt that obesity is a significant risk factor for developing metabolic disorders, this relationship is not completely straightforward. On the one hand, some patients affected by obesity are metabolically unhealthy, while others are metabolically healthy; on the other hand, metabolic syndrome (MetS) can also occur in people with a normal body weight. A commonly used tool for diagnosing obesity is the body mass index (BMI), but the search for better anthropometric measures is ongoing due to the significant limitations of this measure. Obesity can lead to MetS and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Adipose tissue dysfunction is the fundamental mechanism linking obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, which is rooted in the disturbed secretion of adipokines. The visceral adiposity index (VAI) is calculated based on the BMI, waist circumference (WC), blood triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations. It was proposed in 2010 by Amato et al. as a parameter indicating adipose tissue dysfunction and cardiometabolic risk. According to the research conducted so far, some data confirm a relationship between the VAI value and the risk of developing prediabetes, diabetes, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, MetS, CVD, and chronic kidney disease. Further research is needed to support the implementation of VAI assessment in routine clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a narrative literature review summarizing current knowledge regarding the VAI and its usefulness in clinical practice for assessing cardiometabolic risk.