Association of Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) Index and Carotid intima-media Thickness in Early Adulthood: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

Background The association of the Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index as a novel surrogate marker of IR with atherosclerotic CVD has been suggested previously. However, there is limited data available for young adults. We aimed to define the association of the TyG Index and the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in the Tehran, Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) Methods In this cross-sectional study, 1339 participants aged ≥ 18 were categorized into three tertiles based on the TyG Index. The independent contributions of TyG Index tertiles on CIMT and high CIMT were investigated in multiple linear regression and logistic regression models, respectively. Results The mean age of 1339 participants enrolled in the study was 29.77 ± 4.0 years (52% men). The participants were categorized into three tertiles based on the TyG Index. The odds ratio (OR) for the association of TyG Index tertiles with high CIMT was significant in tertile 3 in reference to tertile one after adjustment to age and sex (model 1; OR = 1.73, P  = 0.013), which remains significant after further adjustments to smoking, educational status, and physical activity (model 2; OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.10–2.64, P  = 0.017). Conclusion Our results demonstrated an independent, positive association between the TyG index and higher CIMT levels. These results highlight the potential role of the TyG index as an independent novel variable in the early detection of high-risk individuals for atherosclerotic CVD.