A higher visceral adiposity index levels may be associated with a reduced risk of chronic constipation and an increased risk of chronic diarrhea below a specific threshold, according to a recent study.
In the study, published in Scientific Reports, investigators evaluated the association between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and bowel habits, including chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using data from 10,391 adults aged 20 years or older from the 2005 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they aimed to determine whether the VAI, a gender-specific index assessing visceral fat content, was linked to gastrointestinal symptoms.
The investigators found a significant negative association between the VAI and chronic constipation. After adjusting for covariates, each 1-unit increase in the VAI was associated with a 3% reduction in the risk of chronic constipation (odds ratio [OR] = 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.95–1.00). However, no significant relationship was observed between the VAI and IBD (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.87–1.07).
In contrast, a nonlinear association was identified between the VAI and chronic diarrhea. Below a threshold VAI of 3.08, higher VAI levels were positively correlated with chronic diarrhea (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.15–5.01), whereas no significant association was noted above this threshold.
Subgroup analyses revealed that individuals with healthy sleep habits had a lower risk of chronic constipation, suggesting that sleep may be associated with modulating this relationship.
Full disclosures can be found in the published study.