Huiyuan ZHONG, Fengshi JING, Yawei GUO, Xin XU, Lerong LIU, Tianyu GAO, Zhongzhi XU
European Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology - 2026;8(2):73-82
Objective: Biological ageing represents a major public health concern. Triglyceride-glucose (TyG)-related indices, which integrate glucose and lipid metabolism and reflect insulin resistance, have been proposed as potential indicators of metabolic dysfunction. The present study investigated whether TyG-related indices were associated with biological ageing acceleration and explored the mediating roles of inflammation and oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: Twelve thousand five hundred seventy participants whose age >=18 years were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles spanning 1999 to 2018. Biological age was calculated using the Klemera-Doubal method. Weighted logistic regression and mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between TyG-related indices and inflammation, oxidative stress, and biological ageing acceleration. Results: Increasing levels of all TyG-related indices were significantly associated with higher odds of biological ageing acceleration. Individuals in the highest quartile had elevated odds of accelerated biological ageing relative to those in the lowest quartile, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 2.68 (2.39-3.01) for TyG, 3.66 (3.25-4.12) for TyG-waist circumference, 3.69 (3.28-4.16) for TyG-waist-to-height, and 3.40 (3.03-3.81) for TyG-body mass index. Mediation analyses suggested that inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, including white blood cell count and GGT, accounted for approximately 9.4% and 16.2% of the association between TyG and biological ageing acceleration, respectively. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate significant associations between TyG-related indices and biological ageing acceleration. Because of the cross-sectional design of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, causal inferences should be made cautiously, and further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm these relationships. Nonetheless TyG and its related indices may serve as simple, practical markers for early metabolic risk classification and prevention of age-related health decline by identifying individuals with increased metabolic and inflammatory burden.
