TITLE:
Triglyceride-Glucose Index and Arterial Stiffness: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Chinese Population
AUTHORS:
Xue Wang, Jinlin Lv, Yuluan Xiang, Xiaobo Wang, Lihua Li
KEYWORDS:
Triglyceride-Glucose Index, Arterial Stiffness, Pulse Wave Velocity, Central Hemodynamics, Insulin Resistance
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
17,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Arterial stiffness (AS) is an important indicator of cardiovascular health. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a practical substitute for insulin resistance and has been linked to AS. We investigated the cross-sectional relationships between the TyG index (compared to HOMA-IR) and various measures of AS in adults from Dali, China. Methods: In 715 participants, we measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), central augmentation index (cAIx), pulse pressure amplification (PPA), and ankle-brachial index (ABI), along with TyG and HOMA-IR. Linear regression and multivariable models estimated their associations. We also assessed how well TyG and HOMA-IR could detect existing elevated AS, defined as cfPWV > 10 m/s. Results: In unadjusted analyses, the TyG index was positively associated with baPWV (r = 0.1999, P β = 0.1800 m/s, 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.35; P = 0.0436), while relationships with baPWV, cAIx, PPA, and ABI were not significant. Participants in the highest TyG index tertile had higher odds of elevated AS than those in the lowest tertile (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.43 - 4.20; P = 0.0011). ROC analysis showed TyG had better discrimination for existing elevated AS (AUC = 0.884) than HOMA-IR (AUC = 0.697; P Conclusions: The TyG index is cross-sectionally associated with central arterial stiffness (cfPWV) and shows a stronger ability to identify existing elevated AS than HOMA-IR in this population.