Background
Hypertension, one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, is associated with visceral adiposity accumulation. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the association between the metabolic score for visceral fat (METS-VF), a novel surrogate marker of visceral adiposity, and hypertension in Korean adults.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 27,565 adults from the 2019–2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between METS-VF tertiles and hypertension. Discriminatory performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the areas under the ROC curves were compared with those of other adiposity-related indices.
Results
The prevalence of hypertension increased significantly across the METS-VF tertiles. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for hypertension were 2.50 (2.04–3.06) in the second tertile and 2.76 (2.09–3.63) in the highest tertile, compared with the lowest METS-VF tertile. Moreover, METS-VF showed greater discriminatory performance for hypertension than the other adiposity-related indices.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that METS-VF is strongly associated with hypertension in Korean adults and provides a more comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk than conventional adiposity-related indices.

Background
The association between serum cholesterol levels and depression has been studied extensively; however, results are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the association between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and depressive symptoms among Korean adults.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used data obtained from the 2007–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In total, 40,904 adults were included in the final analysis. Participants were categorized into five groups according to their LDL-C levels, using the Korean guidelines for dyslipidemia. Symptoms of depression were evaluated using a self-reported questionnaire. Weighted logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between LDL-C levels and self-reported depressive symptoms.
Results
Compared with the intermediate category, the lowest (<70 mg/dL) and highest (≥160 mg/dL) LDL-C categories were associated with depressive symptoms, after adjusting for potential confounding factors (odds ratio [OR], 1.191; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.008–1.409; OR, 1.241; 95% CI, 1.073–1.435, respectively). The highest LDL-C category was positively associated with depressive symptoms in those who were middle-aged, female, had a low body mass index, and taking or not taking dyslipidemia medications.
Conclusion
A U-shaped association was identified between LDL-C categories and self-reported depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that LDL-C levels that are too low or too high are associated with self-reported depressive symptoms. Further prospective studies are needed to determine the causal relationship of this association.

Citations

• Diabetes Is Positively Associated With High Risk of Depression in Korean Cervical Cancer Patients: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2021
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  Psychiatry Investigation.2025; 22(1): 57.     CrossRef
• Associations of uric acid and lipids with depression, dimensions of depression and anxiety symptoms
  Kyriakos Kintzoglanakis, Pavlos Kolias, Leonidas Pavlou-Skantzis, Panagiota Ntamka, Anastasios Malles, Ioannis Georgantzinos, Anastasia Vasiliki Tzina, Tatiana Themeli, Dimitrios S. Karagiannakis
  Discover Mental Health.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Causal relationship between depression and hypercholesterolemia: A bidirectional 2-sample Mendelian randomization study
  Zhen Zhang, Yongyan Song
  Medicine.2024; 103(21): e38234.     CrossRef
• Factor Structures in the Depressive Symptoms Domains in the 9Q for Northern Thai Adults and Their Association with Chronic Diseases
  Suttipong Kawilapat, Patrinee Traisathit, Narong Maneeton, Sukon Prasitwattanaseree, Thoranin Kongsuk, Suwanna Arunpongpaisal, Jintana Leejongpermpoon, Supattra Sukhawaha, Benchalak Maneeton
  Behavioral Sciences.2024; 14(7): 577.     CrossRef

Citations

• The Count of White Blood Cells and Body Mass Index in the Smoker Population of Tehsil, Dhirkot, District Bagh
  Badra Younis, Muhammad Shahbaz, Ayesha Chattha, Anum Sadiq, Zakia Arif, Syeda Sabahat Fiaz
  Journal of Bioresource Management.2026; 13(1): 50.     CrossRef
• The association between smoking profile, leukocyte count, and inflammatory indices in males: a cross-sectional analysis of the TABARI cohort study at enrollment phase
  Erfan Ghadirzadeh, Mahmood Moosazadeh, Motahareh Kheradmand, Masoumeh Bagheri-Nesami, Sajad Ghafari-Cherati, Mobina Gheibi, Amirsaeed Hosseini
  Inhalation Toxicology.2025; 37(3): 146.     CrossRef
• Evaluation of stability of deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities using Doppler ultrasound
  Shefang Zhang, Wen Chu, Hua Wang, Yajun Liang, Yajuan Fan, Hui Liu, Guoshi Wei
  Journal of International Medical Research.2020;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Dose-Dependent Toxic Effect of Cotinine-Verified Tobacco Smoking on Systemic Inflammation in Apparently Healthy Men and Women: A Nationwide Population-Based Study
  Won-Jun Choi, Ji-Won Lee, A Ra Cho, Yong-Jae Lee
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2019; 16(3): 503.     CrossRef