Usefulness of New Indicators of Obesity (BAI and VAI) in Estimation of Weight Reduction

Abstract

Objective: Obesity is responsible for a large proportion of the total burden of diseases in Europe. The aim of this study was to compare classic anthropometric parameters with new obesity-related indices (the visceral adiposity index [VAI] and the body adiposity index [BAI]) and to examine their usefulness in the assessment of weight reduction and its effect on the leptin concentration.Methods: We tested 50 patients with obesity, undergoing the implementation of the BioEnterics® Intragastric Balloon (BIB-system) for 6 months. The leptin concentrations and the calculated subcutaneous fat thickness as well as the anthropometric indices were determined prior to the implementation and after the balloon removal.Results: The therapy resulted in a drop in the BAI value without a significant effect on the VAI in subgroups of patients with class I, II, and III obesity. The therapy-induced changes in BAI both in the entire tested group and in patients with class I and II obesity correlated well with the percentage of drop in body weight, body mass index (BMI), subcutaneous fat thickness, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and leptin concentration. Changes in the VAI value correlated with changes in the body weight, BMI, WHtR values, subcutaneous fat thickness, and leptin concentration decrease only in patients with class III obesity.Conclusions: BAI seems to be a better indicator than VAI for reflecting the reduction in body weight in people with class I and II obesity treated with the BIB-System. VAI appears to be a better obesity indicator than BAI only in people with class III obesity.