Importance of Measured Body Fat, Visceral Adiposity Index, and Lipid Accumulation Product Index in Predicting Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Background: Obesity, which is defined as excessive fat accumulation in the body, is an important public health problem. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare measured body fat and the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP) index used to predict cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors. Methods: This study was performed retrospectively by scanning the files of 817 participants who had bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) results and routine blood tests. The VAI and the LAP index were calculated using the appropriate formulas. Results: Of the 817 participants included in the study, 67.9% (n = 555) were female, 32.1% (n = 262) were male, and the mean age was 36.14 +/- 11.4 (18-65) years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.90 +/- 6.6 kg/m(2) and 24.2% (n = 198) of the participants were of normal weight (BMI <25 kg/m(2)), while 75.8% (n = 619) were overweight or obese (BMI >= 25 kg/m(2)). Body fat quantity was higher in females than in males. As BMI increased, the body fat quantity measured by BIA also increased (P < 0.001). The mean LAP index of men was higher than the mean LAP index of women in both the normal-weight group and the obese group (P = 0.025 and P = 0.033, respectively). One unit increase in visceral fat percentage resulted in a 77.9% increase in CMR. Conclusions: It may not be sufficient to use only BMI to predict obesity and related cardiometabolic diseases. According to the study findings, it was determined that the increase in visceral fat percentage significantly increases the CMR.