Beyond BMI: The Role of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Cardiometabolic Risk Stratification Among Children and Adolescents with Obesity—A Systematic Review

Background and Objective: Body mass index (BMI) is widely used to classify obesity in children and adolescents but does not characterize fat distribution. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) may provide information on cardiometabolic risk beyond BMI. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence on the associations between VAT and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents with obesity and to evaluate whether VAT provides additional information beyond BMI.