Metabolic And Cardiovascular Obesity Scores

Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) Calculator

Clinical calculation support · Verify results before clinical use

VAI calculation

Enter the patient's anthropometric measurements and fasting lipid values. Use mmol/L for triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.

—VAI

—VAI index

Calculated result

Enter all values

The calculated index will appear here when all fields contain valid positive values.

VAI is a continuous, sex-specific surrogate index. No universal diagnostic threshold or risk category is applied by this calculator.

About the Visceral Adiposity Index

The Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) is a sex-specific mathematical index based on BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. It was proposed as an indirect marker of visceral adipose tissue dysfunction and its association with cardiometabolic risk; it does not directly measure visceral fat.

Equation used

Sex	Equation
Male	(WC / [39.68 + (1.88 × BMI)]) × (TG / 1.03) × (1.31 / HDL-C)
Female	(WC / [36.58 + (1.89 × BMI)]) × (TG / 0.81) × (1.52 / HDL-C)

Input requirements

Waist circumference is entered in centimetres.
BMI is entered in kg/m².
Triglycerides and HDL-C must both be entered in mmol/L. Convert laboratory values reported in mg/dL before calculation.
All inputs must be positive numerical values; zero or missing lipid values cannot be used in the equation.

Interpretation and limitations

A higher VAI may indicate greater adipose tissue dysfunction and is associated with cardiometabolic risk in some populations. The original equation was developed in non-obese healthy subjects and evaluated in a primary-care population. Performance and proposed thresholds may vary by ethnicity, clinical setting, and underlying disease. Do not interpret the number as a standalone diagnosis or as an individually validated estimate of cardiovascular-event probability.

References

Amato MC, Giordano C, Galia M, et al. Visceral Adiposity Index: a reliable indicator of visceral fat function associated with cardiometabolic risk. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(4):920–922. DOI: 10.2337/dc09-1825. PMID: 20067971.

Amato MC, Giordano C. The Visceral Adiposity Index: an indicator of adipose tissue dysfunction. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2014;2014:730827. DOI: 10.1155/2014/730827. PMID: 24829577. Review discussing the index and limitations across populations.

Clinical disclaimer: This calculator is intended for educational, clinical-support, and research use. VAI is a surrogate index, not a direct measurement of visceral adipose tissue and not a standalone diagnostic or treatment tool. Interpret results in the context of the patient's clinical profile and the evidence applicable to the population being assessed.