Triglyceride-glucose index trajectory and arterial stiffness: results from Hanzhong Adolescent Hypertension Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) has emerged as a reliable surrogate marker of insulin resistance associated with arterial stiffness. However, most studies were based on a cross-sectional design, and few studies have evaluated the longitudinal impact of the TyG index on arterial stiffness. This study aimed to investigate the associations of single time point measurement and the long-term trajectory of the TyG index with arterial stiffness in a Chinese cohort. METHODS: Data are derived from the Hanzhong Adolescent Hypertension Cohort study. A total of 2480 individuals who participated in the 2017 survey was included in the cross-sectional analysis. A sample of 180 individuals from the sub-cohort with follow-up data in 2005, 2013, and 2017 was enrolled in the longitudinal analysis. The TyG index was calculated as ln (fasting triglyceride [mg/dL] × fasting glucose [mg/dL]/2), and arterial stiffness was determined using brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The latent class growth mixture modeling method was used to identify the TyG index trajectories from 2005 to 2017. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional analysis, the median age of the study population was 42.8 (39.8, 44.9) years, and 1351 (54.5%) were males. Each one-unit increment in TyG index was associated with a 37.1 cm/s increase (95% confidence interval [CI] 23.7–50.6 cm/s; P < 0.001) in baPWV, and similar results were observed when the TyG index was in the form of quartiles. In the longitudinal analysis, we identified three distinct TyG index trajectories and found that the highest TyG index trajectory carried the greatest odds of increased arterial stiffness, with a fully adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.76 (95% CI 1.40, 7.54). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of baseline TyG index and higher long-term trajectory of TyG index were independently associated with increased arterial stiffness. Monitoring immediate levels and longitudinal trends of the TyG index may help with the prevention of arterial stiffness in the long run. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12933-022-01453-4.