A novel perspective on adolescent bone health: the role of C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index

The C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index (CTI) reflects systemic inflammation and insulin resistance, but its association with bone mineral density (BMD) in adolescents is unclear. This study aimed to determine the association between CTI and BMD, hypothesizing that higher CTI levels would be associated with reduced BMD.

Multivariable linear regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were adopted to examine the association between CTI and BMD. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also performed.

Each unit increase in CTI was associated with a decrease in BMD by 0.040 g/cm², 0.029 g/cm², 0.037 g/cm², 0.046 g/cm², 0.032 g/cm² for total femur, femoral neck, trochanter, intertrochanter, and lumbar spine, respectively (P < 0.05). Adolescents in the highest CTI quintile also had significantly lower BMD at all five sites compared to those in the lowest level (P < 0.05). The RCS analysis further indicated a non-linear relationship between CTI and BMD. Subgroup analyses indicated that there were no notable interactions regarding CTI and BMD. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.

The findings suggest that higher CTI levels may be linked to impaired bone health, emphasizing the need for further research to explore underlying mechanisms and potential clinical implications.

This study is the first to examined the association between the C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index and bone mineral density in U.S. adolescents. The results indicated that elevated levels of CTI were associated with lower BMD across five skeletal sites. These findings suggest that inflammation and insulin resistance may negatively impact bone health.