Central and peripheral blood pressures in relation to the triglyceride-glucose index in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been proposed as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance. However, the relationship between the TyG index and central blood pressure (BP), has not been well studied in adults. METHODS: A total of 715 Chinese adult participants were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric and BP were assessed. The TyG index was calculated as ln[fasting triglycerides(mg/dL) × fasting glucose(mg/dL)/2]. Central BP was measured using SphygmoCor system. RESULTS: The participants were stratified into three groups based on the TyG index, and significant differences were observed in metabolic and cardiovascular parameters and the prevalence of hypertension among the groups. Both brachial (β = 1.38, P = 0.0310; group highest vs. lowest, β = 2.66, P = 0.0084) and aortic (β = 2.38, P = 0.0002; group highest vs. lowest, β = 3.96, P = 0.0001) diastolic BP were significantly and independently associated with the TyG index and increasing TyG index tertile. However, there was no independent association between the TyG index and systolic BP. A one-unit increase in the TyG index was associated with a 46% higher risk of hypertension (P = 0.0121), and compared with the lowest group, participants in the highest group had a 95% higher risk of hypertension (P = 0.0057). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates a significant and independent association between the TyG index and both brachial and aortic diastolic BP in Chinese adults. Furthermore, the TyG index was found to be an independent predictor of hypertension.