SummaryMetabolic risk factors are among the leading global contributors to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) has emerged as a practical and reliable surrogate marker for insulin resistance in comparison to other indices that are expensive and time-consuming, such as the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index. Evidence suggests that an elevated TyG index is associated with clinical cardiometabolic diseases. However, evidence in subclinical disease is limited, and prior studies have not used MRI to examine cardiac morphology and function on a populational level. Therefore, we are conducting a population-based cross-sectional study to investigate the association between the TyG index and cardiac morphology and function using MRI data from the NAKO study. The objective is to evaluate the potential of the TyG index as a cost-effective risk indicator for insulin resistance in relation to subclinical cardiovascular disease, thereby promoting early detection and prevention of the world’s leading cause of mortality.

Keywords CMR TyG-index heart-function heart-structure insulin-resistance subclinical-cardiovascular-disease

InstitutionsHelmhotz Zentrum München, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institut für Epidemiologie, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Helmholtz Munich, University of Freiburg