Association between Skeletal Muscle Mass-to-Visceral Fat Ratio and Dietary and Cardiometabolic Health Risk Factors among Korean Women with Obesity

Abstract

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is more associated with cardiovascular diseases than sarcopenia or obesity alone. This study aimed to assess the association between the skeletal muscle mass-to-visceral fat area ratio (SVR) and dietary and cardiometabolic health risk factors in obese women. Fifty-nine women aged 19–65 years with BMI values of ≥25 kg/m2 and <32 kg/m2 were included. The SVR was inversely correlated with blood lipids (total cholesterol, β = −0.369, p = 0.022; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, β = −0.326, p = 0.049) and hs-CRP (β = −0.305, p = 0.043). Among the dietary factors, fatty acid intake (saturated fatty acids (SFA), β = −0.287, p = 0.044; monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), β = −0.282, p = 0.048; polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), β = −0.301, p = 0.035) was inversely correlated with the SVR. Conversely, vitamin B6 and B12 intake (vitamin B6, β = 0.338, p = 0.012; vitamin B12, β = 0.281, p = 0.024) showed positive associations with the SVR. Individuals with a lower SVR were more likely to have SO and higher blood lipids and inflammatory marker levels. Regarding dietary factors, the SVR increased with vitamin B6 and B12 intake, which was less likely to occur in individuals with SO.