An Overview on Triglyceride-Glucose Index (TyG)

Abstract

The Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) index is a simple, low-cost surrogate marker widely used to estimate insulin resistance (IR). It is calculated from fasting plasma triglycerides and fasting plasma glucose using the formula: TyG index = ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL) ÷ 2]. Insulin resistance plays a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. While the gold-standard hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp test directly measures insulin sensitivity, it is laborious and impractical for large clinical or epidemiological studies. The TyG index, on the other hand, has been validated as a reliable and accessible alternative that correlates strongly with clamp-measured insulin resistance.