The triglyceride and glucose index is a useful biomarker to recognize glucose disorders in apparently healthy children and adolescents

It has been suggested that the triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index is an early indicator for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adults. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the TyG index is useful in the screening of glucose disorders (GD) in apparently healthy children and adolescents. Eligible participants were apparently healthy children and adolescents. Individuals with new diagnosis of GD were allocated into the study groups with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and T2D. Participants with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were the control group. In total, 1872 children and adolescents were enrolled and allocated into the study groups. Diagnosis of NGT, IFG, IGT, and T2D was established in 1541 (82.3%), 256 (13.7%), 66 (3.5%), and 9 (0.4%) children, respectively. In girls, the best cutoff points of the TyG index for identifying IFG, IGT, and T2D were 4.51 (sensitivity 59.8%, specificity 59.8%), 4.55 (sensitivity 63.0%, specificity 64.3%), and 4.63 (sensitivity 75.0%, specificity 74.6%), respectively; and in boys were 4.52 (sensitivity 62.8%, specificity 64.2%), 4.54 (sensitivity 71.8%, specificity 65.1%), and 4.82 (sensitivity 91.0%, specificity 990.6%), respectively.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the TyG index may be a useful tool for screening GD in healthy children and adolescents.