Triglyceride-Glucose Index and Risks of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Young Adults

The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a reliable marker of insulin resistance. Although the TyG index is useful for identifying individuals at a high risk of future cardiovascular events and mortality in the general population, its clinical impact on young adults remains unclear.

This study aimed to investigate the association between the TyG index and mortality in young individuals.

We enrolled 6 667 138 individuals aged 20-39 years who underwent Korean national health screening between 2009 and 2012. Participants were categorized into quartiles based on their TyG indices. The study outcomes included all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with cardiovascular events, cancer, and respiratory diseases.

During a median follow-up duration of 10.7 years, 41 004 (0.6%) deaths occurred. The cumulative event rates for all-cause and cause-specific mortality were highest among participants in the TyG index quartile 4. In the multivariable Cox analysis, participants in the TyG index quartile 4 had significantly increased risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality compared with those in the quartile 1 (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.21 (95% CI 1.17-1.24), 1.42 (1.29-1.56), and 1.68 (1.21-2.34), respectively). In contrast, the risk of cancer-related mortality was not increased in participants in the TyG index quartile 4. The risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality increased as the TyG index increased. However, there was no significant relationship between the TyG index and the risk of cancer-related mortality.

The TyG index can be a useful marker to identify young individuals at an increased risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality.