Association between triglyceride-glucose index and sarcopenia in older adults without either dysglycemia or central obesity: a cross-sectional study from CHARLS.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the association between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and sarcopenia in a metabolically healthier older population.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study utilized data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), involving 1,544 participants aged ≥60 years who were free of both dysglycemia (i.e., diabetes or prediabetes) and central obesity. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between the TyG index and sarcopenia.

RESULTS

Participants with sarcopenia had a significantly lower TyG index than those without sarcopenia (8.29 [8.01-8.59] vs. 8.38 [8.07-8.69]; p=0.001), and the prevalence of sarcopenia declined progressively across TyG quartiles (Q1-Q4: 54.3 %, 53.4 %, 47.4 %, 43.8 %; p for trend=0.001). After adjustment for significant covariates, a higher TyG index was independently associated with lower odds of sarcopenia (per quartile: OR = 0.826, 95 % CI: 0.720-0.947; per unit: OR = 0.714, 95 % CI: 0.517-0.985). Compared with the lowest quartile, participants in the highest quartile had a 44.8 % lower odds of sarcopenia (OR = 0.552, 95 % CI: 0.357-0.852).

CONCLUSION

Among older adults without either dysglycemia or central obesity, a higher TyG index was independently associated with a lower odds of sarcopenia.