Association between triglyceride glucose-waist height ratio index and cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older Chinese individuals: a nationwide cohort study

Abstract Background The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and its combination with obesity indicators can predict cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there is limited research on the relationship between changes in the triglyceride glucose-waist height ratio (TyG-WHtR) and CVD. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between the change in the TyG-WHtR and the risk of CVD. Methods Participants were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). CVD was defined as self-reporting heart disease and stroke. Participants were divided into three groups based on changes in TyG-WHtR using K-means cluster analysis. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between different groups (based on the change of TyG-WHtR) and CVD. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression model was used to explore the potential nonlinear association of the cumulative TyG-WHtR and CVD events. Results During follow-up between 2015 and 2020, 623 (18.8%) of 3312 participants developed CVD. After adjusting for various potential confounders, compared to the participants with consistently low and stable TyG-WHtR, the risk of CVD was significantly higher in participants with moderate and increasing TyG-WHtR (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.01–1.63) and participants with high TyG-WHtR with a slowly increasing trend (OR 1.58, 95%CI 1.16–2.15). Higher levels of cumulative TyG-WHtR were independently associated with a higher risk of CVD events (per SD, OR 1.27, 95%CI 1.12–1.43). Conclusions For middle-aged and older adults, changes in the TyG-WHtR are independently associated with the risk of CVD. Maintaining a favorable TyG index, effective weight management, and a reasonable waist circumference contribute to preventing CVD.