Higher METS-VF is independently and linearly associated with increased subsequent all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with a history of stroke.
METS-VF was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in stroke patients in fully adjusted models.
METS-VF was an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in stroke patients in fully adjusted models.
Participants in the highest METS-VF tertile exhibited the greatest risk of both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Restricted cubic spline analyses confirmed significant linear dose-response relationships between METS-VF and both mortality outcomes, with no evidence of nonlinearity.
The study population consisted of 1,557 stroke survivors drawn from a nationally representative survey over nearly two decades.
Traditional anthropometric indices are noted to inadequately capture the metabolic burden of visceral adiposity, motivating use of METS-VF as a novel indicator.
This research studied whether a newer measure of harmful belly fat, called the Metabolic Score for Visceral Fat (METS-VF), could predict the risk of death in people who have had a stroke. Using data from nearly 1,600 stroke survivors followed for an average of about 6.5 years in a large U.S. national health survey, the researchers found that people with higher METS-VF scores were significantly more likely to die from any cause or from heart and blood vessel disease. Specifically, those with the highest scores had roughly 62% greater risk of all-cause death and 81% greater risk of cardiovascular death compared to those with lower scores, even after accounting for many other health factors. The relationship between METS-VF and mortality was found to be linear — meaning risk rose steadily as the score increased, with no threshold effect or plateau. This pattern held consistently across different demographic and clinical subgroups of stroke survivors. Unlike measures such as BMI or waist circumference alone, METS-VF is designed to better reflect the metabolic activity of deep abdominal fat, which is thought to be more harmful than fat stored elsewhere in the body. This research suggests that METS-VF, which can be calculated using relatively simple and widely available measurements, may be a useful tool for identifying stroke survivors who are at higher risk of dying and who might benefit most from intensive follow-up or secondary prevention efforts. The findings point to visceral fat metabolism as an important target for monitoring and potentially intervening in people recovering from stroke.
Kuang B, Zou Y. (2026). Association between the metabolic score for visceral fat and mortality outcomes in stroke patients: A national cohort study.. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000050680