Association of metabolic syndrome with TyG index and TyG-related parameters in an urban Chinese population: a 15-year prospective study

BACKGROUND: The metabolic syndrome (Mets) is a multiplex risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. The aims of the study were to assess the association of the Mets with TyG index and TyG-related parameters in an urban Chinese population. METHODS: The data were collected in 1992 and then again in 2007 from the same group of 590 individuals (363 males and 227 females) without Mets in 1992. The fasting lipid profile and blood glucose were measured. TyG index and related parameters were calculated, and Mets defined according to the harmonized criteria. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves was used to evaluate TyG index and related parameters for their diagnostic ability to identify people with Mets. Odd ratios (OR) for Mets prediction were calculated using stepwise logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The incidence of Mets was 18.64% over the 15-year follow-up period.During 15 years’ follow-up, TyG-waist to height ratio (TyG-WHtR) shows the largest AUC for Mets detection (0.686) followed by TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC) (0.660), TyG-waist-to-hip ratio (TyG-WHpR) (0.564), and TyG index (0.556) in all participants. Gender analysis revealed that TyG-WHtR and TyG-WC have the largest AUC in both genders. TyG-WHtR significantly predicted Mets in all participants, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 5.63 (95% CI 3.23–9.83 P < 0.001). Associations remained significant after adjustment for smoking, drinking, physical exercise and components of Mets. CONCLUSIONS: TyG-WHtR might be a strong and independent predictor for Mets in all participants in an urban Chinese population. TyG-related markers that combine obesity markers with TyG index are superior to other parameters in identifying Mets in both genders.