Observations from this study indicate a positive relationship between visceral adiposity index (VAI: an indicator of visceral fat) and incident stroke in the Chinese population.

• In this retrospective analysis of 9,127 individuals enrolled in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, experts examined the link between VAI and incident stroke.

• Cumulative incidence of stroke rose with increasing quartiles of VAI (8.6%, 8.7%, 9.2%, and 10.0%).

• An elevated risk of stroke was present (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.45) among individuals in the fourth quartile of VAI, vs those in the first quartile of VAI.

• In several sensitivity analyses, the results were stable.