Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents a spectrum of disorders, characterized by multisystemic manifestations and heterogenous etiology associated with varying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The high risk-associated frequent NAFLD-phenotype, considered a consequence of the metabolic syndrome (MS), was recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). The complex bidirectional interplay between visceral obesity-type 2 diabetes (T2D)-NAFLD-CVD is incompletely clarified, and the role of fatty liver disease suspected as an independent CVD risk factor is less addressed in the medical practice.Simple identification of MAFLD and risk stratification of MS patients at increased CVD risk in the primary care could contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with the growing NAFLD epidemic.In 221 central Romanian IDF-criteria-diagnosed MS patients, MAFLD diagnosis and NAFLD-developed indices (FLI/Fatty-Liver-Index, HSI/Hepatic-Steatosis-Index, ZJU/Zhejiang-University-Index) were investigated, related to HOMA/QUICKI-assessed insulin resistance and diagnosed CVD.In the 59.34+/-9.54 year-old MS patients, FLI, HSI, ZJU showed moderate correlation with obesity (BMI/waist circumference: r=0.5/0.7-0.8/0.48-0.64/0.5,p<0.001), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR/IRI: r=0.33-0.37-0.45,p=0.001), fasting glucose (r=0.28-0.33-0.34,p<0.01) and other NAFLD- indices (r=0.38-0.59,p<0.001). Increased CVD risk associated with elevated HSI (>36: OR=2,p=0.03) and FLI (>60: OR=7,p=0.006), without reaching statistical significance in case of ZJU, to our best knowledge uninvestigated in European populations (>38: OR=2.75,p>0.05), and MAFLD in the diagnosis (OR=1.7,p>0.05).In conclusion, in MS patients with visceral obesity, NAFLD indices available in the primary care setting, based on obesity measurements, T2D presence and liver enzymes, correlate with insulin resistance and associate with an increased CVD risk, and may assist identification of MAFLD cases needing imperious management.