Chinese visceral adiposity index outperforms insulin resistance indices in predicting cardiovascular disease risk: a 12-year prospective cohort study
Open Access
- 5 May 2026
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Nutrition
- Vol. 13, 1795750
Abstract
Aims: This study investigated and compared the abilities of seven insulin resistance (IR) indices, including the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC), TyG-waist-to-hip ratio (TyG-WHtR), lipid accumulation product (LAP), visceral adiposity index (VAI), Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI), and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) among participants without a history of CVD. Methods: The population was recruited from the prospective Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities Community (APAC) Study in Hebei. This prospective study included 5,194 individuals without history of CVD who were stratified into CVD group and non-CVD group. The seven IR indices (TyG, TyG-WC, TyG-WHtR, LAP, VAI, CVAI, and METS-IR) were calculated. The primary endpoint was CVD. Results: Over a 12-year follow-up period, 373(7.2%) CVD were documented. The seven IR indices were strongly positively associated with CVD risk. Compare to other IR indices, CVAI was the strongest predictor for CVD (HR:1.84 95% CI: 1.45–2.35; p < 0.001) and showed the highest diagnostic value for CVD (AUC: 0.654 95% CI: 0.640–0.666; p < 0.001). Adding CVAI to the based model exhibited the maximum increased on incremental risk stratification for CVD (NRI: 0.355; IDI: 0.010; all p < 0.001). Moreover, there was a non-linear association between CVAI and CVD, with a threshold point of 96.21. The association between CVAI and CVD risk was more prominent among individuals aged<65 years, female, and non-hypertension (all P interaction<0.001). Conclusion: Compared to the other six tested IR indices, CVAI might be the most valuable index to predict and stratify CVD risk, with enhanced prediction in women under 65 years of age. This suggests that strategies aimed at improving risk stratification should incorporate CVAI into risk algorithms.Keywords
This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit:
- Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index Outperforms Traditional Anthropometric Indices in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Prospective Cohort StudyDiabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 2025
- Transition of visceral adiposity index and risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older Chinese adultsArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 2024
- Obesity and Dyslipidemia: A Review of Current EvidenceCurrent Obesity Reports, 2023
- The impact of the metabolic score for insulin resistance on cardiovascular disease: a 10-year follow-up cohort studyJournal of Endocrinological Investigation, 2022
- Challenges in the diagnosis of insulin resistance: Focusing on the role of HOMA-IR and Tryglyceride/glucose indexDiabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 2022
- Mechanisms and Treatment of Dyslipidemia in DiabetesCurrent Cardiology Reports, 2021
- Targeting metabolic pathways for extension of lifespan and healthspan across multiple speciesAgeing Research Reviews, 2020
- Insulin resistance: Review of the underlying molecular mechanismsJournal of Cellular Physiology, 2018
- The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic SyndromeCurrent Hypertension Reports, 2018
- Insulin resistance, lipotoxicity, type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis: the missing links. The Claude Bernard Lecture 2009Diabetologia, 2010