CVDs are one of the most important and common causes of illness, disability, and death in different societies, especially in developed countries. Therefore, it is necessary to develop planned interventions to manage and prevent such diseases. In this study, we aimed to assess the associations of VAT and SAT diameter with CVD risk factors such as BMI, age, gender, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, abdominal circumference, neck circumference, and waist circumference in Iranian adult population using the ultrasound method.
Since SAT and VAT were significantly higher in men, we performed the tests separately in two groups of men and women. Our findings showed that the VAT was significantly higher in women aged 51–60 years compared to other age groups. (p < 0.001).
Multiple regression analysis showed that age, triglycerides, neck circumference, abdomen circumference, waist circumference, skeletal muscle mass, and minerals are significant predictors of VAT. In a similar study, waist circumference was found to be a more reliable predictor of visceral adiposity than BMI (4). These findings are in contradiction with the results of the study of De Lucia Rolfe et al. (2010), which stated that BMI, weight, and hip circumference are not significantly correlated with VAT, particularly in women (40). This discrepancy in the results can be attributed to differences in gender, the degree of obesity and the ethnicities of the included subjects.
The multivariate regression analysis looking for the most significant predictors of SAT among CVD risk factors showed that abdominal Circumference, waist circumference, and triglycerides were the most significant predictors of SAT. Previous studies also reported that hip circumferences and BMI positively correlated with SAT in both men and women, while the correlation between age and SAT was not significant (40, 41).
Also, our study showed that not only the measured blood pressure but also the history of hypertension is significantly correlated with subcutaneous and visceral fat. The results of similar studies support this finding (42–44). Similarly, Haberka et al. (42) reported that the severity of hypertension is associated with increased measures of central obesity and indexes of both perivascular and abdominal fat. Litwin et al. (43) evaluated that disturbed body composition and visceral obesity increase the risk of hypertension and CVDs.
This study showed a significant relationship between HDL and VAT (p < 0.001). This finding is not supported by the result of a study conducted by Liu et al. (45) that showed no correlation between total body fat mass and HDL.
Our study sample was limited to the employers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, and since all these employees are somehow related to the health system, they probably have more medical knowledge than members of the society and, therefore, might not be a good example of the whole. One of the strengths of this study is the evaluation and analysis of biochemical and bioimpedance indicators in participants, which has not received much attention in previous studies.
The current study highlights the importance of monitoring changes in adipose tissue diameter over time, since they are closely connected with CVD risk factors. This study provides data indicating that age, weight, waist circumference, and blood triglyceride were significantly associated with VAT and abdominal Circumference, waist circumference, and triglycerides were significantly associated with SAT. These findings can become a helpful tool in better identifying patients with an increased risk of CVDs. Our study makes significant advances to the current literature by deepening the understanding of the association between abdominal adiposity and traditional CVD risk factors.