Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study

The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide, particularly in Asia. Visceral obesity, characterized by intra-abdominal fat accumulation, is a precursor to metabolic syndrome, encompassing hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, which elevate the risk of atherosclerosis and cardio...

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Main Authors: Hajime Nawata, Li Ou, Xu Zhang, Qinglan Song, Jing Huang, Jin Hu, Kazue Ito, Shinichi Obo, Takeharu Fukushima, Kaori Iwami, Shizuka Iguchi, Ai Igarashi, Xiaoyang He, Jing Zhang, Yu Xia, Ken Takasaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Japan Endocrine Society 2025-05-01
Series:Endocrine Journal
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Online Access:https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/endocrj/72/5/72_EJ24-0554/_html/-char/en
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author Hajime Nawata
Li Ou
Xu Zhang
Qinglan Song
Jing Huang
Jin Hu
Kazue Ito
Shinichi Obo
Takeharu Fukushima
Kaori Iwami
Shizuka Iguchi
Ai Igarashi
Xiaoyang He
Jing Zhang
Yu Xia
Ken Takasaki
author_facet Hajime Nawata
Li Ou
Xu Zhang
Qinglan Song
Jing Huang
Jin Hu
Kazue Ito
Shinichi Obo
Takeharu Fukushima
Kaori Iwami
Shizuka Iguchi
Ai Igarashi
Xiaoyang He
Jing Zhang
Yu Xia
Ken Takasaki
author_sort Hajime Nawata
collection DOAJ
description The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide, particularly in Asia. Visceral obesity, characterized by intra-abdominal fat accumulation, is a precursor to metabolic syndrome, encompassing hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, which elevate the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. A visceral fat area (VFA) of ≥100 cm2 is a recognized threshold for diagnosing obesity-related metabolic syndrome. This study aimed to identify independent risk factors for VFA ≥100 cm2 in middle-aged Chinese individuals from the general population. We analyzed data from 148 participants (mean age: 49.3 ± 10.8 years; 54% male) who underwent health check-ups. VFA and subcutaneous fat area were assessed using computed tomography, while arterial stiffness and fatty liver were evaluated via brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and abdominal ultrasonography, respectively. Between-group comparisons (VFA ≥100 cm2 vs. VFA <100 cm2) were conducted using unpaired t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regression analysis identified risk factors. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s (odds ratio [OR] = 5.71, p = 0.011), waist circumference ≥85 cm (OR = 5.46, p = 0.026), fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥100 mg/dL (OR = 5.69, p = 0.030), male sex (OR = 12.79, p = 0.029), and fatty liver (OR = 3.99, p = 0.042) were significant independent risk factors for VFA ≥100 cm2. Among these, baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s was the most significant, showing a positive correlation with VFA (r = 0.365, p < 0.001). Visceral obesity (VFA ≥100 cm2) is a critical target for interventions addressing metabolic syndrome, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and cardiovascular disease, particularly in males.
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spelling doaj-art-d038f7b267f24d598353ff3fd3cf39fd2025-08-20T02:02:39ZengThe Japan Endocrine SocietyEndocrine Journal1348-45402025-05-0172552553310.1507/endocrj.EJ24-0554endocrjArterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional studyHajime Nawata0Li Ou1Xu Zhang2Qinglan Song3Jing Huang4Jin Hu5Kazue Ito6Shinichi Obo7Takeharu Fukushima8Kaori Iwami9Shizuka Iguchi10Ai Igarashi11Xiaoyang He12Jing Zhang13Yu Xia14Ken Takasaki15Zhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaZhichengheai Health Management Center, Leading Center, Tianfu Chengdu 610000, ChinaThe prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide, particularly in Asia. Visceral obesity, characterized by intra-abdominal fat accumulation, is a precursor to metabolic syndrome, encompassing hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, which elevate the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. A visceral fat area (VFA) of ≥100 cm2 is a recognized threshold for diagnosing obesity-related metabolic syndrome. This study aimed to identify independent risk factors for VFA ≥100 cm2 in middle-aged Chinese individuals from the general population. We analyzed data from 148 participants (mean age: 49.3 ± 10.8 years; 54% male) who underwent health check-ups. VFA and subcutaneous fat area were assessed using computed tomography, while arterial stiffness and fatty liver were evaluated via brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and abdominal ultrasonography, respectively. Between-group comparisons (VFA ≥100 cm2 vs. VFA <100 cm2) were conducted using unpaired t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regression analysis identified risk factors. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s (odds ratio [OR] = 5.71, p = 0.011), waist circumference ≥85 cm (OR = 5.46, p = 0.026), fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥100 mg/dL (OR = 5.69, p = 0.030), male sex (OR = 12.79, p = 0.029), and fatty liver (OR = 3.99, p = 0.042) were significant independent risk factors for VFA ≥100 cm2. Among these, baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s was the most significant, showing a positive correlation with VFA (r = 0.365, p < 0.001). Visceral obesity (VFA ≥100 cm2) is a critical target for interventions addressing metabolic syndrome, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and cardiovascular disease, particularly in males.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/endocrj/72/5/72_EJ24-0554/_html/-char/envisceral obesityarterial stiffnessmetabolic syndromemetabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (mafld)cardiovascular disease
spellingShingle Hajime Nawata
Li Ou
Xu Zhang
Qinglan Song
Jing Huang
Jin Hu
Kazue Ito
Shinichi Obo
Takeharu Fukushima
Kaori Iwami
Shizuka Iguchi
Ai Igarashi
Xiaoyang He
Jing Zhang
Yu Xia
Ken Takasaki
Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
Endocrine Journal
visceral obesity
arterial stiffness
metabolic syndrome
metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (mafld)
cardiovascular disease
title Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
title_full Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
title_short Arterial stiffness, high fasting glucose, and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle-aged Chinese individuals: a cross-sectional study
title_sort arterial stiffness high fasting glucose and fatty liver as risk factors for visceral obesity in middle aged chinese individuals a cross sectional study
topic visceral obesity
arterial stiffness
metabolic syndrome
metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (mafld)
cardiovascular disease
url https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/endocrj/72/5/72_EJ24-0554/_html/-char/en
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