Relationship between triglyceride-glucose index and muscle strength in middle-aged and older Chinese adults without chronic diseases: a nationwide longitudinal cohort study

The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index represents a pioneering approach to assessing insulin resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential association between the TyG index and muscle strength in a Chinese middle-aged and older adults without comorbid chronic diseases. A total of 2,086 participants were identified in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Muscle strength was assessed using two methods: absolute handgrip strength (HGS) and relative HGS, which was normalised by body weight or BMI. To evaluate the correlation between the TyG index and muscle strength, a range of analytical techniques was employed, including linear regression models, logistic regression models, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses. A reduction in relative HGS was observed in the high TyG population compared to the low TyG population, whereas no such reduction was observed for absolute HGS. Regression analyses revealed a significant negative correlation between TyG and relative HGS, after controlling for a range of potential confounding variables. Conversely, no such relationship was observed between TyG and absolute HGS. The RCS results indicated that no nonlinear relationship existed between TyG and absolute HGS. In Chinese middle-aged and older adults, a negative correlation was observed between the TyG index and relative HGS, but not absolute HGS, in individuals without comorbid chronic diseases.

We thank all participants of the CHARLS in this study.

This work was supported by Clinical and Translational Research Project of Anhui Province (S202427b10025004).

Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China

Xiaoyu Pan, Xing Zhong, Ajuan Gong, Xiaomin Huang & Tianrong Pan

The authors declare no competing interests.

The original survey protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Center of Heath Statistics. All participants signed informed consent forms. The present study was deemed exempt by the Institutional Review Board of our center.

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Pan, X., Zhong, X., Gong, A. et al. Relationship between triglyceride-glucose index and muscle strength in middle-aged and older Chinese adults without chronic diseases: a nationwide longitudinal cohort study. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-17832-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-17832-2

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