Chinese visceral adiposity index outperforms other obesity indexes in association with increased overall cancer incidence: findings from prospective MJ cohort study

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

5-10-2025

Journal

British journal of cancer

DOI

10.1038/s41416-025-03041-1

Abstract

BACKGROUND: We assessed the associations of visceral adiposity indexes such as Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index (CVAI), Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP), waist circumference (WC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) with overall and specific cancer incidence in a Chinese population. METHODS: 332,297 individuals from the Taiwan MJ cohort (1996-2007) were included. We utilized multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to examine associations of baseline visceral adiposity indexes and cancer incidences. Sex-specific CVAI, VAI, and LAP were calculated, incorporating WC and triglycerides levels. CVAI and VAI also included body mass index and high-density lipoprotein, with CVAI further incorporating age. RESULTS: Higher CVAI was consistently associated with higher overall cancer incidence, with HRs of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.2-1.76) and 2.03 (95% CI: 1.52-2.72) for males and females, respectively, comparing the fifth quintile to the first. The HRs for WC were 1.27 (95% CI: 1.08-1.49) and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.01-1.40) for males and females, WHR was significantly associated with cancer risk in males (HR:1.28; 95% CI: 1.13-1.45), and LAP was significantly associated with cancer risk in females (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04-1.5). VAI was not associated with overall cancer incidence. DISCUSSION: CVAI is a superior clinical biomarker for predicting cancer incidence in the Chinese population compared to traditional visceral obesity indices.

Department

Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

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