# Association between Osteoarthritis and the Triglyceride–Glucose Index in the Korean Population: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study

## TL;DR

This study finds that in the Korean population, the triglyceride–glucose index is not strongly linked to osteoarthritis, but when combined with obesity measures, it shows some association in women.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the relationship between osteoarthritis and metabolic markers in a Korean population.

## Key findings

- The TyG index was not associated with OA in the Korean population.
- TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR showed stronger associations with OA in women than in men.
- The associations between OA and TyG indices combined with obesity were weaker than those with BMI, WC, and WHtR alone.

## Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index values. However, the evidence supporting this association remains controversial. This study explores the associations of OA with the TyG index and with a combination of the TyG index and obesity in the Korean population. Methods: A total of 15,128 subjects (including 6575 men and 8553 women) were included in this analysis. Complex sample binary logistic regression was used to analyze the associations of OA with TyG, TyG-body mass index (TyG-BMI), TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC), and the TyG-waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR). We applied the Bonferroni correction to account for multiple comparisons. Results: The prevalence of OA in the Korean population was 7.3% in men and 24.3% in women. The TyG was not associated with OA. In men, the odds ratio (OR) for the TyG was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.79–1.00; p = 0.315) per one standard deviation increase in the crude model, and the adjusted OR was 0.98 (95% CI, 0.86–1.11; adjusted p > 0.999) in the adjusted model. In women, the OR for the TyG was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.19–1.35; p < 0.001), whereas the adjusted OR was 1.08 (95% CI, 1.01–1.16; adjusted p = 0.236). In the adjusted models, TyG-BMI, TyG-WC, and TyG-WHtR were not associated with OA in men but strongly associated with OA in women. Conclusions: The TyG index was not associated with OA in the Korean population. The strength of the associations between OA and the TyG indices combined with obesity was lower than the that of the associations between OA and BMI, WC, and WHtR individually.