Dietary magnesium intake modified association between visceral adiposity index and chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is considered as one of the major global public health concerns.
The visceral adiposity index (VAI), a marker of visceral fat dysfunction, has been associated with CKD in pre-
vious reports; however, evidence from U.S. populations remains limited. In addition, the potential modifying
role of dietary magnesium intake in this association is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate
the relationship between VAI and CKD among U.S. adults and to explore whether dietary magnesium intake
modifies this association.

Methods: A total of 2,616 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES) between 2003 and 2018 were included in this retrospective study. The association between VAI
and CKD was evaluated using curve-fitting analyses, multivariable logistic regression models, and subgroup
analyses stratified by dietary magnesium intake.

Results: A significant positive relation between VAI and CKD was observed only among individuals with
low dietary magnesium intake. In this group, each one-unit increase in VAI was associated with higher odds
of CKD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.18; P < 0.001) after adjustment for
potential confounders. In contrast, no significant relation was observed among individuals with high dietary
magnesium intake (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.96–1.10; P = 0.252).

Conclusions: Higher VAI is significantly associated with an increased risk of CKD among U.S. adults with low
dietary magnesium intake. Adequate magnesium consumption may attenuate the adverse association between
visceral adiposity and kidney health.