Hormonal
Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) is a stronger predictor of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk than total fat mass or BMI, particularly in Asian populations where VAT accumulation occurs at lower BMI thresholds.
Focus on reducing visceral fat, not just total weight. If you are Asian or older, your BMI might be 'normal' while your visceral fat is high. Use waist circumference or body composition scans to monitor VAT. Reducing VAT through exercise and diet is critical for lowering metabolic syndrome risk.
Among these ectopic stores, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is the most commonly studied due to its pro-inflammatory properties... Consequently, VAT is strongly associated with heightened CVD risk...
Why this rating
Based on systematic reviews and large-scale dataset aggregations cited in the review.
Source
The Critical Role of Body Composition Assessment in Advancing Research and Clinical Health Risk Assessment across the Lifespan
Jonathan P. Bennett et al. · Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome · 2025
DOI 10.7570/jomes25010
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