Visceral adiposity index and cardiorespiratory fitness: Unmasking risk of impaired fasting glucose among adolescents.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing among adolescents, but paediatric risk predictors are relatively underdeveloped. This study aimed to establish the associations of visceral adiposity index (VAI) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with fasting plasma glucose in 418 Nigerian adolescents aged 11 years to 19 years. Using a cross-sectional design, participants were stratified by VAI and CRF tertiles to examine variations in impaired fasting glucose (IFG) risk. The findings of this study revealed significant gender differences: In the case of boys, high VAI and low CRF is associated with IFG, while no association was present in girls. CRF, measured by the 20-meter shuttle run, was a stronger predictor of IFG than VAI, suggesting that physical fitness is a protective factor against glucose dysregulation. These findings point to VAI and CRF as useful, non-invasive predictors of risk for T2DM in youth, supporting school-based fitness programs that promote CRF and attenuate visceral adiposity, particularly in males. Future work must validate these predictors across various ethnic populations and identify other risk factors that can augment plans for early interventions aimed at the prevention of adolescent T2DM.