Indicators of Abdominal Adiposity and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: Results from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brazil)

Abstract Background: Abdominal adiposity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Objective: To determine the magnitude of the association between abdominal adiposity, according to five different indicators, and the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Methods: Data from 8,449 participants aged 35 to 74 years from the ELSA-Brazil study were used. The effect of waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), conicity index (C index), lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) on CIMT were evaluated. Data were stratified by gender and analyzed using multivariate linear and logistic regressions. A significance level of 5% was considered. Results: Participants with CIMT > P75 showed a higher frequency of abdominal adiposity (men >72% and women >66%) compared to those with CIMT