RECALIBRATING INSULIN RESISTANCE DETECTION: INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF TYG INDEX VS. GLYCATED ALBUMIN IN A HIGH-RISK POPULATION

Nitin Wathore; Saride Naveen Kumar; Urmila Umasekar; Panneerselvam Periasamy; Arbind Kumar Choudhary

doi:10.46903/gjms/23.4.Suppl.2061

RECALIBRATING INSULIN RESISTANCE DETECTION: INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF TYG INDEX VS. GLYCATED ALBUMIN IN A HIGH-RISK POPULATION

Nitin Wathore, Saride Naveen Kumar, Urmila Umasekar, Panneerselvam Periasamy, Arbind Kumar Choudhary

Abstract

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is an early driver of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular risk, yet reliable and affordable screening tools are limited in many low-resource settings. The triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index has emerged as a practical surrogate, while glycated albumin (GA) remains less well studied in this context. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of TyG and GA against HOMA-IR in South Asian adults, while exploring phenotype-specific thresholds to improve early detection.

Materials & Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 349 South Asian adults without known diabetes. Participants underwent anthropometric assessment and fasting laboratory testing, including glucose, triglycerides, insulin, GA, HbA1c, hs-CRP, adiponectin, and liver enzymes. HOMA-IR > 2.5 was used as the reference standard. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using correlation analyses, multivariable regression, and ROC curves, with subgroup evaluation by BMI, sex, and inflammatory status.

Results: TyG showed stronger correlation with HOMA-IR than GA and achieved good diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.72 overall, 0.80 in obesity). GA failed to reach statistical significance. TyG retained independent predictive value alongside hs-CRP, adiponectin, and liver enzymes. Stratified thresholds (≥ 8.95 in obesity, ≥ 9.00 in males, ≥ 9.10 with high hs-CRP) improved performance.

Conclusion: TyG is an accessible and cost-effective tool for detecting insulin resistance in South Asians, while GA lacks discriminatory utility. Tailored cut-offs may enhance precision screening.

Keywords

Adiponectin; Diagnostic Thresholds; Glycated Albumin; HOMA-IR; Inflammatory Biomarkers; Insulin Resistance; South Asia; TyG Index.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46903/gjms/23.4.Suppl.2061