Skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area ratio is an important determinant associated with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Background: Skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area ratio (SVR) were shown to be related to some chronic diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. The aim of this study is to determine whether the SVR is associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Methods: A total of 798 subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. Lipid profiles, plasma glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were grouped by the SVR. The associations between the SVR and T2DM and MS were examined using logistic regression to determine whether the SVR was associated with T2DM and MS.

Results: Lipid profiles, glucose levels, blood pressure, WC and BMI showed significant differences when stratified based on the extent of SVR. The SVR levels were also significantly higher in subjects without MS or T2DM than in those with MS or T2DM. The SVR was inversely correlated with lipid profiles and WC and was especially correlated with BMI, with an r>0.5. The SVR was identified as a risk factor for T2DM and MS after adjusting age and sex. SVR can predict T2DM [area under the curve =0.726, 95% CI (0.669-0.782), <0.001] and MS [area under the curve =0.730, 95% CI (0.694-0.766), <0.001]. The suitable cut-off value is 0.230 for T2DM (sensitivity 0.696, specificity 0.694) and 0.278 for the onset of MS (sensitivity 0.518, specificity 0.862).

Conclusion: The SVR is closely associated with an increased risk for exacerbating T2DM and MS and can be used as a diagnostic indicator for T2DM and MS.