The triglycerides and glucose index is highly associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight and obese women

Background: Although some previous studies have indicated that the triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index is associated with an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), there are still few studies in this field.

Aims: The goal of this study was to assess whether the TyG index is associated with the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD in overweight and obese women.

Methods: Overweight and obese women aged 20 to 65 years were enrolled in a cross-sectional study and allocated into the groups with and without NAFLD. Alcohol consumption, pregnancy, normal-weight, positive markers of viral or autoimmune hepatitis, acute or chronic liver disease, renal disease, cardiovascular disease, neoplasia, and intake of hepatotoxic drugs were exclusion criteria. The diagnosis of NAFLD was established by liver ultrasound and the TyG index was calculated as the Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)]/2.

Results: A total of 420 participants were enrolled and allocated into the groups with (n = 212) and without (n = 208) NAFLD. In the overall population, the frequency of NAFLD was 50.4%. The logistic regression analysis adjusted by body mass index, waist circumference, and total body fat showed that total cholesterol (OR = 1.004; 95% CI: 1.000-1.007), triglycerides (OR = 1.002; 95% CI: 1.000-1.004), AST (OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.15-1.23), ALT (OR = 1.20; 95% CI: 1.15-1.25), and TyG index (OR = 3.15; 95% CI: 1.64-6.06) are significantly associated with NAFLD.

Conclusions: The results show that the TyG index is highly associated with the presence of NAFLD in women with overweight and obesity.