Background/AimsVisceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP) are novel anthropometric indices that have shown an association with metabolic syndrome; however, limited data are available regarding the predictive performance of these indices for the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality.MethodsThis study was performed on the data retrieved from Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS). ICS is an ongoing population‐based cohort study conducted in 3 counties in central Iran. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between LAP, VAI, and metabolic parameters. Cox regression analysis and receiver operative characteristics (ROC) curve analysis were performed in order to evaluate the ability of VAI and LAP for the incidence of CVD, CVD‐associated mortality, and all‐cause mortality. We further compared the predictive performance of VAI and LAP with body mass index (BMI).ResultsLAP and VAI were significantly correlated with all metabolic variables, including blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and lipid profile components. Univariate regression analysis indicated a significant association between LAP and VAI with CVD incidence. In multivariate analysis, only VAI was significantly associated with CVD incidence. Regarding CVD mortality, only VAI in the multivariate analysis revealed a significant association. Interestingly, Both VAI and LAP were negatively associated with all‐cause mortality. ROC curve analysis indicated the superior performance of LAP and VAI for predicting CVD incidence compared to BMI; however, BMI was better in predicting all‐cause mortality.ConclusionCompared to BMI, LAP and VAI are of better predictive performance for the incidence of CVD. In contrast, BMI was superior to VAI and LAP in the prediction of all‐cause mortality.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.