Association between the triglyceride-glucose index and hyperuricemia in an apparently healthy population with zero metabolic syndrome components: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To investigate the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and hyperuricemia (HUA) in an apparently healthy population, specifically defined as individuals presenting with zero components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. Unlike previous studies on general populations, this study focuses on a "metabolically clean" cohort to explore the early predictive value of the TyG index. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,181 metabolically healthy participants who did not meet even a single criterion for MetS (median age of 38.00 years; interquartile range: 33.00 - 47.00 years). Participants were stratified by TyG index quartiles (Q1-Q4). Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between the TyG index (as both a continuous and categorical variable) and HUA. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of this association across various clinical strata, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were employed to characterize dose-response relationships. Results: for non-linearity =0.217). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated a modest discriminatory ability of the TyG index (area under curve=0.631) for HUA prediction. Conclusion: In an apparently healthy population with zero MetS components, the TyG index is independently and positively associated with HUA in linear dose-response manner. Our findings highlight the potential of the TyG index as a tool for risk stratification in primary prevention settings, particularly for ruling out HUA, even in individuals without overt metabolic disorders.