Association between triglyceride–glucose index and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: Lipid and glucose metabolism abnormalities are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index is a recently developed indicator that can identify individuals at risk for NAFLD. However, the applicability of the TyG index for identifying NAFLD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of the TyG index to identify individuals at risk for NAFLD in the T2DM population. METHODS: A total of 2280 participants with T2DM were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The TyG index was calculated, and NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Binary logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of the TyG index, glycemic parameters and lipid parameters with NAFLD. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that the TyG index was significantly associated with NAFLD in subjects with T2DM, the odds ratio (OR) were 3.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.03–5.27; P < 0.001) for NAFLD in the highest TyG quartile after adjustment for known confounders. In stratified analysis, an elevated TyG index were more remarkably associated with NAFLD in younger patients (< 65 years; OR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.83–3.02; P < 0.001), females (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.67–4.32; P < 0.001), patients with BMI < 25 kg/m(2) (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 2.01–3.91; P < 0.0001), and with lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (< 1 mmol/L; OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.98–3.83; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The TyG index is significantly associated with NAFLD and shows superior ability for identify NAFLD risk compared with other lipid and glycemic parameters in T2DM.