Visceral adiposity is significantly associated with type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese women: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest that visceral fat is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) independent of body mass index (BMI). However, epidemiological data about the relationship between visceral fat and T2D are rare in Chinese. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether visceral fat area (VFA) is associated with T2D beyond and above BMI in the Chinese population. MethodsThe present community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 on 4126 individuals (2545 women, 1581 men) aged 40years, with T2D diagnosed according to 1999 World Health Organization criteria. The VFA was measured by a fat area analyzer using bioelectrical impedance analysis. ResultsParticipants were categorized into normal weight and overweight/obese groups according to BMI. Within each group, compared with women with below-median VFA, women with above-median VFA had a significantly increased risk of diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.31-2.69 in the normal weight group; OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.54-2.85 in the overweight/obese group), whereas among men the corresponding associations were not significant in either group. Among women, after multivariable adjustment including BMI, each one standard deviation increase in VFA was significantly associated with a 45% higher risk of having T2D (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.26-1.67), whereas among men BMI, not VFA, was independently associated with T2D (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02-1.37). ConclusionsVisceral fat was independently associated with T2D in women regardless of obesity status, whereas in men BMI may have a more important effect on T2D than visceral fat.