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Longitudinal association between visceral adiposity index and arthritis-diabetes comorbidity risk: A cohort study

Huidong Zhang1,2, Hanyi Wang2, Xinyi Zhang2

  • 1Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Graduate School, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China.

Medicine
|July 31, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Visceral adiposity index (VAI) can predict the risk of developing arthritis and diabetes comorbidity in older Chinese adults. Higher VAI levels are associated with increased risk, suggesting VAI as a potential noninvasive screening tool.

Area of Science:

  • Metabolic Health
  • Chronic Disease Epidemiology
  • Biomarker Research

Background:

  • Visceral adiposity is linked to chronic inflammation and disease.
  • The predictive value of the visceral adiposity index (VAI) for arthritis-diabetes comorbidity is not well-established.
  • Noninvasive markers for predicting chronic disease risk are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between VAI and the risk of developing arthritis-diabetes comorbidity.
  • To evaluate VAI as a potential noninvasive tool for risk prediction.
  • To explore dose-response relationships and subgroup effects.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) of adults aged 45 and above.
  • Employed multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for confounders.
  • Assessed predictive power using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves and analyzed subgroup effects.

Main Results:

  • A positive correlation was observed between VAI and arthritis-diabetes comorbidity.
  • Each interquartile range increase in VAI was associated with a 10% increased risk (OR=1.10).
  • Individuals in the highest VAI quartile had a significantly higher risk (OR=4.30) compared to the lowest, with a significant dose-response trend (P=0.001).
  • The fully adjusted model showed moderate discriminative ability (AUC=0.703).
  • Consistent associations were found in females and non-smokers, with a nonlinear dose-response relationship.

Conclusions:

  • Increased VAI is an independent predictor of higher arthritis-diabetes comorbidity risk in middle-aged/elderly Chinese adults.
  • The association exhibits nonlinearity and subgroup heterogeneity.
  • Targeted visceral adiposity reduction in high-risk groups may be a viable strategy for chronic disease prevention.

Keywords:
China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)Chinese AdultsCohort Studyarthritis-diabetes comorbidityvisceral adiposity index (VAI)

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