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The triglycerides and glucose index is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in metabolically obese normal-weight subjects

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine whether the triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index is associated with the presence of metabolically obese normal-weight (MONW) phenotype and related cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods

Apparently healthy men and non-pregnant women aged 20–65 years were enrolled in a population-based cross-sectional study. Overweight, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, pregnancy, diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, renal disease, malignancy, and medical treatment were exclusion criteria. Subjects were allocated into the MONW or normal-weight groups. MONW phenotype was defined by normal weight and the presence of at least one of the following cardiovascular risk factors: elevated blood pressure, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL cholesterol.

Results

A total of 542 subjects were enrolled and allocated into the MONW (n = 354) and normal-weight (n = 188) groups. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that the elevated TyG index is significantly associated with the presence of MONW phenotype (OR = 11.14; 95% CI 6.04–20.57), hyperglycemia (OR = 3.18; 95% CI 1.95–5.21), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 399.19; 95% CI 94.01–1694.98), and low HDL-C (OR = 2.60; 95% CI 1.74–3.87), but not with elevated blood pressure (OR = 1.55; 95% CI 0.93–2.60).

Conclusion

Results of this study support that the TyG index may be a useful indicator to detect MONW phenotype and associated cardiovascular risk factors.

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Correspondence to L. E. Simental-Mendía.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.

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Morales-Gurrola, G., Simental-Mendía, L.E., Castellanos-Juárez, F.X. et al. The triglycerides and glucose index is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in metabolically obese normal-weight subjects. J Endocrinol Invest 43, 995–1000 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-020-01184-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-020-01184-x

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