Association between visceral adiposity indices (VAI and LAP) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional analysis

Background. The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is high, affecting more than 50% of patients. Prior studies show that the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP) are associated with NAFLD because they reflect insulin resistance and excess lipid accumulation. As these conditions also occur in T2DM, VAI and LAP are anticipated to be potential biomarkers for early detection of NAFLD. This study aimed to evaluate whether VAI and LAP are associated with NAFLD in patients with T2DM. Methods. This analytical, observational cross-sectional study was conducted in adults (≥18 years) with T2DM at RSUP Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo, Makassar. Comparisons used the Mann–Whitney U test (two-sided, p < 0.05). We also applied chi-square tests to estimate odds ratios (ORs) after categorizing VAI and LAP into tertiles. Results. We analyzed 117 participants (72 with NAFLD; 45 without NAFLD). Median VAI and LAP values were significantly higher in the NAFLD group (p = 0.027 for VAI; p = 0.010 for LAP). Using tertiles, VAI ≥ 8.7 and LAP ≥ 407.61 were each associated with NAFLD (OR 3.051). Conclusions. Higher VAI and LAP values in patients with T2DM are associated with NAFLD. A VAI ≥ 8.7 and LAP ≥ 407.61 were each linked to approximately three-fold higher odds of NAFLD. These indices may serve as non-invasive, low-cost, and time-efficient tools to help identify NAFLD in routine clinical practice.