The triglycerides and glucose index is strongly associated with hepatic steatosis in children with overweight or obesity

Given the worldwide increase prevalence of overweight, obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the objective of this study was to evaluate whether the triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index is associated with hepatic steatosis in children with overweight or obesity. Apparently healthy children aged 5-17 years were included and allocated into the groups with and without hepatic steatosis. The TyG index was calculated as Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) x fasting glucose (mg/dL)]/2. Hepatic steatosis was diagnosed by ultrasonography. A total of 177 children, 66 (37.3%) girls and 111 (62.7%) boys, were included in the study. According to the hepatic ultrasonography, they were allocated into the groups with (n = 100) and without (n = 77) hepatic steatosis. The adjusted analysis by gender, body mass index, and waist circumference revealed that HDL-C (OR 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93-0.99), triglycerides (OR 1.005; 95% CI: 1.001-1.009), AST (OR 1.03; 95% CI: 1.008-1.07), ALT (OR 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.05), and TyG index (OR 4.07; 95% CI: 1.26-13.15) remained associated with hepatic steatosis. Conclusion: Compared to other biochemical markers, the TyG index is highly associated with the presence of fatty liver in children with overweight and obesity. What is known: The triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index is effective in predicting high risk for incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults. What is new: Compared to other biochemical markers, the TyG index is highly associated with the presence of fatty liver in children with overweight or obesity. The triglycerides and glucose index may be a useful tool to detect children at high risk of fatty liver.

Automated summary

This study found that the TyG index is highly associated with hepatic steatosis in children with overweight or obesity. Compared to other biochemical markers, the TyG index may be a more effective indicator for detecting fatty liver in this population.