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Association of a Lifestyle Risk Index With Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in the German National Cohort (NAKO).

November 19, 2025pubmed logopapers

Authors

Maskarinec G,Klapp R,Nöthlings U,Schulze MB,Bamberg F,Machann J,Schlesinger S,Leitzmann M,Sedlmeier A,Bohmann P,Rospleszcz S,Nattenmüller J,Haueise T,Steindorf K,Niendorf T,Schlett CL,Greiser KH,Panreck L,Linseisen J,Conzen CA,Gastell S,Schikowski T,Völzke H,Bülow R,Peters A,Niedermayer F,Kaaks R,Becher H,Karch A,Berger K,Keil T,Krist L,Hoffmeister M,Mons U,Schmidt B,Stang A,Mikolajczyk R,Kluttig A,Lieb W,Övermöhle C,Hebestreit A,Günther K,Harth V,Obi N,Castell S,Kettlitz R,Nimptsch K,Pischon T

Affiliations (33)

  • University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
  • Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
  • Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences-Nutritional Epidemiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
  • German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany.
  • Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam, Nuthetal, Germany.
  • Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
  • Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases, Helmholtz Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
  • German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Tübingen, Germany.
  • Institute for Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at the Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
  • Institute for Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
  • Institute for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Hirslanden Clinic St. Anna, Luzern, Switzerland.
  • Division of Physical Activity, Prevention and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
  • NAKO e.V., Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany.
  • IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany.
  • Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
  • Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
  • German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
  • Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, München, Germany.
  • Institute for Global Health, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
  • Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
  • Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
  • State Institute of Health I, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Erlangen, Germany.
  • Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Division of Primary Cancer Prevention, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
  • Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
  • Institute of Epidemiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
  • Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
  • Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
  • Department for Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined a Lifestyle Risk Factor Index (LSRI) in relation to adiposity measures including visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in the German National Cohort (NAKO). Based on self-reports at baseline among 30,920 of > 205,000 NAKO eligible participants with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, one point each for not smoking, adhering to ≥ 3/7 diet recommendations, consuming ≤ 1 (women)/≤ 2 (men) alcoholic drinks/day, and ≥ 150 min/week physical activity was assigned. VAT volume, obtained from whole-body MRI at 3T, was analyzed by deep learning-based image segmentation. General linear models estimated adjusted geometric mean adiposity measures by LSRI and stratified analyses by sex and BMI. Of 18,508 participants aged 48.2 ± 12.2 years, the respective proportions for 0/1, 2, 3, and 4 LSRI points were 7%, 24%, 51%, and 18%. Participants with LSRI scores of 4 versus 0/1 had lower adjusted geometric mean volumes of VAT (2.3; 95% CI 2.2, 2.3 vs. 3.0; 95% CI 2.9, 3.1 L). These differences were slightly attenuated after adding BMI. This association was weaker for individuals with obesity than normal/overweight. A combination of lifestyle factors appears to be associated with lower VAT volume, but an elevated BMI may have a greater influence on VAT accumulation than lifestyle behaviors alone.

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