An association between visceral or subcutaneous fat accumulation and diabetes mellitus among Japanese subjects

Abstract Background The impact of subcutaneous fat accumulation remains controversial. This study assessed the association between visceral or subcutaneous fat area (VFA and SFA, respectively) and diabetes mellitus (DM) among Japanese subjects. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 1907 eligible participants (men, 1050; women, 857) who participated in a voluntary health check-up conducted at Juntendo University Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018, in Tokyo, Japan. Associations between VFA or SFA quartiles and DM were identified using adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess appropriate cut-off values of VFA or SFA. Results Multivariate analyses showed that Q4 (≥ 125 cm2) of VFA was significantly positively associated with DM compared to Q1 (