Associations between TG/HDL ratio and insulin resistance in the US population: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Clinical data on the relationship between triglycerides (TG)/HDL ratio and insulin resistance (IR) suggest that TG/HDL ratio may be a risk factor for IR. However, there is evidence that different races have different risk of developing IR. The relationship on TG/HDL ratio and IR in various populations needs to be improved. Therefore, we investigated whether TG/HDL ratio was linked to IR in different groups in the United States after controlling for other covariates. METHODS: The current research was conducted in a cross-sectional manner. From 2009 to 2018, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) had a total of 49,696 participants, all of whom were Americans. The target-independent variable was TG/HDL ratio measured at baseline, and the dependent variable was IR. Additionally, the BMI, waist circumference, education, race, smoking, alcohol use, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and other covariates were also included in this analysis. RESULTS: The average age of the 10,132 participants was 48.6 ± 18.4 years, and approximately 4936 (48.7%) were males. After correcting for confounders, fully adjusted logistic regression revealed that TG/HDL ratio was correlated with IR (odds ratio = 1.51, 95% CI 1.42–1.59). A nonlinear interaction between TG/HDL ratio and IR was discovered, with a point of 1.06. The impact sizes and CIs on the left and right sides of the inflection point were 6.28 (4.66–8.45) and 1.69 (1.45–1.97), respectively. According to subgroup analysis, the correlation was strong in females, alcohol users, and diabetes patients. Meanwhile, the inverse pattern was observed in the aged, obese, high-income, and smoking populations. CONCLUSION: In the American population, the TG/HDL ratio is positively associated with IR in a nonlinear interaction pattern.