Associations between triglyceride glucose index and depression in middle-aged and elderly adults: A cross-sectional study

The pathogenesis of depression is unclear, and it responds poorly to treatment. It is thus urgent to identify the pathogenesis of depression and possible therapeutic targets. There may be interactions between insulin resistance (IR) and depression. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between depression, triglyceride glucose (TyG) index. The study participants were 198 middle-aged and elderly patients who were admitted to the Hebei General Hospital between January 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022, together with 189 healthy adults as controls. Depression was diagnosed according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for depression. IR was assessed by the TyG index. Compared with the control group, patients suffering from depression had higher TyG index (P = .00); There were significant differences in the sex ratio (P = .00), family history (P = .00), body mass index (P = .008), total cholesterol (P = .00), fasting blood glucose (P = .004), high-density lipoprotein (P = .00), and low-density lipoprotein (P = .001) levels between the 2 groups. After excluding other confounding factors, the TyG index was found to be independently associated with depression, with an OR of 2.75. These data support an association of depression with the TyG index. IR thus appears to be a risk factor for depression.