Age- and Sex-Specific Distribution of the Triglyceride-Glucose Index in a Large Chinese Population: Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has demonstrated promising predictive capability in clinical studies, but its distribution characteristics across different age and sex groups in the Chinese population have not been fully characterized. Objective: This study aimed to describe the population-based distribution of the TyG index. Methods: A total of 4621 participants aged 20-80 years from the China National Health Survey were included in this study. The TyG index was calculated from fasting blood glucose and triglycerides. The age- and sex-specific distribution values of the TyG index were obtained using the percentiles method. Results: Males had higher BMI (23.32, SD 2.63 vs 22.72, SD 2.60 kg/m2), triglyceride (133.78, SD 78.07 vs 111.58, SD 61.18 mg/dL), fasting glucose (97.05, SD 11.95 vs 94.34, SD 10.46 mg/dL), and TyG index values (8.63, SD 0.54 vs 8.45, SD 0.50) than females. The TyG index of males reached its peak value at approximately 40 years of age. The lower limit percentile values for females exceeded that of males around age 50. After the age of 60, the upper limit of the distribution values in females was higher than in males. Conclusions: This study characterized the age- and sex-specific distribution of the TyG index among Chinese adults aged 20-80 years. The results of this study contribute to a more precise assessment of glucolipid metabolism.