Positive association of triglyceride-glucose index with new-onset hypertension among adults: a national cohort study in China

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index was a better predictor of adverse cardiovascular events than triglycerides or fasting blood glucose alone. However, few studies have focused on new-onset hypertension. We aimed to explore the association of TyG index with new-onset hypertension in Chinese adults. METHODS: A total of 4,600 participants who underwent at least 2 rounds of visits from 2009 to 2015 in the China Health and Nutrition Survey were enrolled in this study. Our outcome of interest was new-onset hypertension. Multivariate Cox hazard regression models and restricted cubic spline were performed to explore the relationship between TyG index and new-onset hypertension. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation, SD) age of the study population was 48.1 (13.6) years, and 2058 (44.7%) of the participants were men. The mean (SD) TyG index level was 8.6 (0.7). A total of 1,211 (26.3%) participants developed new-onset hypertension during a median (interquartile range) follow-up duration of 6.0 (2.0–6.1) years. The incidences of new-onset hypertension were 18.1%, 25.3%, 28.5%, and 33.4% by quartiles of TyG index [from quartile 1 (Q1) to Q4], respectively. The Cox model showed that high levels of TyG index were significantly associated with increased risk of new-onset hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–1.55, Q2; aHR, 1.24, 95% CI 1.03–1.49, Q3; aHR, 1.50, 95% CI 1.22–1.84, Q4) compared with Q1. Consistently, as a continuous variable, for every 1.0 increase in TyG index, there was a 17% increase in the risk of new-onset hypertension (aHR, 1.17; 95% CI 1.04–1.31). The associations were consistent in various subgroups and sensitivity analysis. The dose–response curve indicated a positive, linear association between TyG index and the risk of new-onset hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: High TyG index was significantly associated with an increased risk of new-onset hypertension among Chinese adults. Our findings suggest that maintaining a relatively low level of TyG index might be effective in the primary prevention of hypertension. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-023-01795-7.