Combination of Triglyceride Glucose Index and Obesity-Related Parameters for Predicting Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver...

A robust correlation has been reported between the triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index and progression of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which includes several long-term liver abnormalities influenced by obesity. In this cross-sectional study, the capacity of three modified TyG indices was evaluated, i.e., the TyG-body mass index (BMI), TyG-waist-to-height ratio (WHR), and TyGwaist circumference (WC) to predict NAFLD in overweight/obese men from a western Chinese cohort.

The study included 714 men classified as overweight/obese and confirmed to have NAFLD through abdominal ultrasonography. The BMI threshold for overweight and obesity was set at≥ 24 kg/m2, according to the criteria of the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC). The indices TyG, TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHR were estimated using set formulas. Subsequently, the predictive values of these indices were compared by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

As shown by regression analysis employing the crude model, the TyG-BMI index remarkably predicted NAFLD in overweight/obese men. In the ROC curve analysis, the TyG-BMI index exhibited the highest area under the ROC curve value for detecting NAFLD (0.891, 95% CI: 0.873-0.909).

Based on WGOC BMI categories, the present study focuses exclusively on Western Chinese men who were diagnosed to have NAFLD and were classified as overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2). Therefore, further research is required to determine the predictive value of these indices across different populations or according to the WHO criteria for overweight/obesity. Moreover, this study relies on cross-sectional data, and its design does not allow for the elucidation of causal relationships.

The findings of this study indicate that the TyG-BMI index is more effective than the other two indices in predicting the risk of NAFLD among overweight or obese males in the western Chinese population. An important issue is the potential for variations in the use of suitable TyG-related indices to determine NAFLD risk across populations of different ethnicities and races. Hence, these results should be validated in cohorts from other global regions.