Title:

The Triglyceride Glucose Index (TyG) as a Proxy for Insulin Resistance and Disease Risk in Young Adults

Objectives: Insulin resistance (IR) is difficult to measure and often undetected until diagnosis of another chronic metabolic condition, usually during mid – or older adulthood. The Triglyceride Glucose Index (TyG) serves as a proximal measure to assess IR in the general population but has been largely unused in younger adults. This study will examine the use of TyG and its association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria in a population of healthy young adults, ages 18-24. Methods: The College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey (CHANAS) is an on-going, cross-sectional survey that collects anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical data from young adults at a large, New England university. Data from 2005-2021 were used to examine TyG and MetS in a sample of 10,664 students. TyG was calculated via the equation Ln((triglycerides x blood glucose)/2); waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, and HDL cholesterol were coded dichotomously if they met criteria for MetS as defined by the American Heart Association (AHA). ANCOVA and Spearman’s correlations were used to examine the association of TyG values with risk factors for MetS. Results: After excluding students taking diabetes medications or those with missing data (n=8,335; 71% women), mean TyG was 8.32±0.43 (95% CI [8.31, 8.33]); 4.3% of students met the definition of MetS (≥ 3 MetS criteria). Average TyG for women was 8.34±0.43 (95% CI [8.33, 8.35]) and 8.28±0.44 (95% CI [8.26, 8.29]) for men. Mean TyG for students with MetS was higher vs. those with no MetS criteria (8.94±0.43 vs. 8.17±0.33, p <.001). Spearman's rho showed significant positive correlations (all p<.001) between TyG and MetS (r=.255), as well as between TyG and individual criteria for MetS: waist circumference (r=.120), HDL (r=.073), blood glucose (r=.127), triglycerides (r=.607) and blood pressure (r=.072), and between TyG and BMI (r=.105). Conclusions: As TyG values positively correlated with MetS criteria, data supports its use as a proxy measure for IR in the young adult population. Further research is needed to establish recommendations and usefulness of TyG in monitoring disease risk and primary disease prevention. Funding Sources: The New Hampshire Agriculture Experiment Station and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project 1010738.

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