The Triglyceride-Glucose Index Is Associated with Longitudinal Cognitive Decline in a Middle-Aged to Elderly Population: A Cohort Study

Background: To examine the effect of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index on longitudinal cognitive decline in a healthy middle-aged-to-elderly population. Methods: We conducted a population-based longitudinal study. A total of 1774 participants without cognitive impairment were enrolled in the 4-year follow-up. They were divided into four groups according to the quartile of the TyG index. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were performed to examine the association between the TyG index and cognitive decline. Discrimination tests were used to evaluate the incremental predictive value of the TyG index beyond conventional risk factors. Results: During the follow-up, compared with those in the bottom quartile group, participants in the top TyG quartile group presented a 51% increase in the risk of cognitive decline (OR 1.51 (95% CI: 1.06–2.14)). As shown by discrimination tests, adding the TyG index into the conventional model resulted in a slight improvement in predicting the risk of cognitive decline (NRI 16.00% (p = 0.004)). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that increasing values of the TyG index were positively associated with the risk of cognitive decline. Monitoring the TyG index may help in the early identification of individuals at high risk of cognitive deterioration.