Association of Triglyceride–Glucose Index and the Presence of Sarcopenia in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Abstract Objective: Triglyceride–glucose index (TyG index) has been used in healthy individuals as a marker of insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) showed an increased risk of developing sarcopenia compared to control subjects. This study is performed to determine the association of TyG index with the presence of sarcopenia in T2DM patients. Method: This study included 1098 T2DM patients who were recruited from the inpatients in Qilu Hospital (Qingdao). Skeletal muscle index (SMI) was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum triglyceride (TG) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) were measured and used to calculate TyG index. Result: 119 male subjects (20.2%) had sarcopenia, while 72 female subjects (14.1%) had sarcopenia in T2DM patients. TyG index was correlated with a decreased risk of sarcopenia in both male and female T2DM groups. TyG index was found to be positively correlated with SMI after multivariate adjustment in male subjects. When TyG index was ≤9.5, TyG index was positively correlated with SMI. However, when TyG index was >9.5, there was not a significant association between TyG index and SMI. Moreover, TyG index was not correlated with SMI after multivariate analysis in female subjects. However, TyG index was positively correlated with SMI when TyG index was ≤9. When TyG index was >9, TyG index was negatively correlated with SMI, however, the correlation was not statistically significant. Conclusion: TyG index is inversely correlated with the presence of sarcopenia in type 2 diabetes patients.