The longitudinal association of remnant cholesterol with diabetes in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: A nationwide population-based cohort study

The association between remnant cholesterol (RC) and diabetes remains unclear in Chinese. We used the data of 9464 Chinese adults aged ≥45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Estimated RC level was calculated as total cholesterol minus high-density lipoprotein cholesterol minus low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Cox proportional hazard models and restricted cubic spline models were used to assess the relationships between RC and diabetes. After 6 years of follow-up, a total of 777 respondents experienced new-onset diabetes. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, the adjusted hazard ratios (95 % confidence intervals) for the highest versus lowest quartile of RC was 1.45 (1.19–1.75) for risk of diabetes, and each 1-SD increase of RC (19.52 mg/dl) was associated with 9 % (HRs = 1.09; 1.03–1.15) increased risk of diabetes. There were also significant linear associations between RC level and diabetes (P for linearity <0.001). Elevated RC levels were positively associated with increased risk of diabetes in Chinese adult population, suggesting that RC could be considered as a preferential predictor and treatment target of diabetes in Chinese population. Future prospective studies are needed to verify our findings and to assess the effect of RC–lowering interventions in diabetes prevention.