Narrative review: visceral fat, bioelectrical impedance phase angle and biological ageing
This narrative review links visceral obesity to chronic inflammation and accelerated biological ageing and discusses bioelectrical impedance analysis, especially phase angle, as a possible non-invasive marker; the evidence is described as largely cross-sectional and correlative. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The review describes visceral adipose tissue as an autonomous neuro-immune-endocrine organ whose dysfunctional expansion is linked to inflammaging. [1]
Low phase angle values in visceral obese subjects are reported to overlap with those of frail elderly individuals. [1]
The proposed combination of BIA with epigenetic clocks, NAD levels and microbiome indices is said to lack prospective interventional validation. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Narrative review (abstract)
- Population / context
- People with visceral obesity, discussed alongside frail elderly individuals and sarcopenic obesity in a narrative review.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- July 29, 2026
Visceral fat as an active organ in this review
The review describes visceral adipose tissue not as simple fat excess but as an autonomous neuro-immune-endocrine organ. Its dysfunctional expansion is said to drive insulin resistance, atherogenesis and accelerated cellular ageing through chronic low-grade sterile inflammation, called inflammaging. The authors name genomic instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, the NAD/sirtuin axis, cellular senescence and inter-organ communication as mechanisms discussed.
Supporting source [1]
Low phase angle in visceral obesity resembles frail elderly
According to the review, low bioelectrical impedance phase angle values in visceral obese subjects overlap with those of frail elderly individuals. This is interpreted as impaired membrane integrity, loss of active cell mass and altered balance between intracellular and extracellular water. The authors stress that this evidence base remains largely cross-sectional and correlative, so directionality and population-specific calibration of BIA-derived indices are unresolved.
Supporting source [1]
Proposed framework lacks prospective interventional validation
The review proposes combining BIA with epigenetic clocks, circulating NAD levels and gut microbiome indices as a framework for dynamic biological age assessment, but states that prospective interventional validation is still lacking. It also describes sarcopenic obesity, assessed with EWGSOP2 criteria plus BIA-derived skeletal muscle mass index and handgrip dynamometry, as a critical comorbidity. BIA is presented as complementary to, not a replacement for, anthropometric and imaging methods.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. This is a narrative review without formal risk-of-bias tools or quantitative synthesis, and the authors themselves call the BIA evidence largely cross-sectional and correlative.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Mariotti M, Merenda V, Arrigoni F, Tamburlin N. · europepmc.org · July 29, 2026