A new longitudinal study published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine has revealed that the triglyceride-glucose waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR) is significantly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Chinese adults. This makes TyG-WHtR a potential biomarker for earlier detection and prevention strategies.
Data were pooled from 6,764 participants in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which followed individuals aged 45 and older for nearly eight years. During this period, 1,595 participants developed CVD. According to the reports, those in the highest TyG-WHtR quartile had markedly worse metabolic health and nearly double the CVD prevalence compared with those in the lowest quartile. 

The study identified a nonlinear relationship between TyG-WHtR and CVD risk, with an inflection point at 3.57. Below this threshold, the association of TyG-WHtR with CVD was weak. However, once the marker exceeded 3.57, every standard deviation increase was linked to a 17% higher risk of CVD.

TyG-WHtR combines measures of insulin resistance and central obesity into a single index. These two factors are two major drivers of CVD.  is an efficient and cost-effective biomarker that can be easily calculated from routine blood tests and body measurements, making it a feasible tool for large-scale screening. 

Limitations of the study consist of the disadvantages of self-reports of CVD and the focus on middle-aged and older Chinese adults, which may limit generalizability. Further research is needed to validate its use across diverse populations and to explore whether lowering TyG-WHtR through lifestyle or medical interventions reduces CVD risk.