The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study

Abstract Background The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) has emerged as a reliable proxy for insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, showing associations with various health outcomes. While the relationship between metabolic health and respiratory function has been established, the association...

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Main Authors: Hyun-Il Gil, Sungwon Lim, Min-Jung Kwon, Soo-Youn Ham, Jonghoo Lee, Jae-Uk Song
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-08-01
Series:BMC Pulmonary Medicine
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03869-6
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author Hyun-Il Gil
Sungwon Lim
Min-Jung Kwon
Soo-Youn Ham
Jonghoo Lee
Jae-Uk Song
author_facet Hyun-Il Gil
Sungwon Lim
Min-Jung Kwon
Soo-Youn Ham
Jonghoo Lee
Jae-Uk Song
author_sort Hyun-Il Gil
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) has emerged as a reliable proxy for insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, showing associations with various health outcomes. While the relationship between metabolic health and respiratory function has been established, the association between TyG and lung function remains unclear, particularly in Asian populations. Therefore, we investigated whether TyG is associated with decreased lung function in a large sample of healthy Koreans. Methods We analyzed data from 89,809 healthy Korean adults (46,739 men, mean age: 38.5 years) who underwent health examinations in 2019, stratifying participants into quartiles based on their TyG index. Lung function impairment was defined using the lower limit of normal (LLN) derived from spirometric values at the fifth percentile of our population. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for lung function impairment, using the lowest TyG quartile as the reference group. Results Mean TyG index was 8.34 ± 0.57. Subjects in the highest TyG quartile exhibited the lowest predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%) and forced vital capacity (FVC%) after adjusting for covariates (P < 0.001). Also, FEV1(L) /FVC(L) ratio significantly differ among the four quartiles (P < 0.001). Compared to the lowest quartile (Q1), the aORs with 95% CI for FEV1% below the LLN across increasing quartiles (Q2 to Q4) were 1.150 (1.002–1.320), 1.272 (1.103–1.466), and 1.535 (1.310–1.799), respectively. For FVC% below the LLN, aORs were 1.233 (1.065–1.428), 1.334 (1.159–1.536), and 1.745 (1.506–2.021), respectively. Both trends were statistically significant (all P for trend < 0.001). In contrast, the aORs for FEV1/FVC below the LLN showed no significant differences among groups (P for trend = 0.186). Conclusions We found a significant association between higher TyG index values and decreased lung function in a large sample of healthy Koreans. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality and explore the long-term implications of this relationship on respiratory health.
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spelling doaj-art-14ebb986fbea4aa28befab51c23f4e162025-08-20T04:01:44ZengBMCBMC Pulmonary Medicine1471-24662025-08-0125111310.1186/s12890-025-03869-6The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health studyHyun-Il Gil0Sungwon Lim1Min-Jung Kwon2Soo-Youn Ham3Jonghoo Lee4Jae-Uk Song5Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Nursing, Dongguk University-WISEDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineDepartment of Internal Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju National University School of MedicineDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of MedicineAbstract Background The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) has emerged as a reliable proxy for insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction, showing associations with various health outcomes. While the relationship between metabolic health and respiratory function has been established, the association between TyG and lung function remains unclear, particularly in Asian populations. Therefore, we investigated whether TyG is associated with decreased lung function in a large sample of healthy Koreans. Methods We analyzed data from 89,809 healthy Korean adults (46,739 men, mean age: 38.5 years) who underwent health examinations in 2019, stratifying participants into quartiles based on their TyG index. Lung function impairment was defined using the lower limit of normal (LLN) derived from spirometric values at the fifth percentile of our population. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for lung function impairment, using the lowest TyG quartile as the reference group. Results Mean TyG index was 8.34 ± 0.57. Subjects in the highest TyG quartile exhibited the lowest predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%) and forced vital capacity (FVC%) after adjusting for covariates (P < 0.001). Also, FEV1(L) /FVC(L) ratio significantly differ among the four quartiles (P < 0.001). Compared to the lowest quartile (Q1), the aORs with 95% CI for FEV1% below the LLN across increasing quartiles (Q2 to Q4) were 1.150 (1.002–1.320), 1.272 (1.103–1.466), and 1.535 (1.310–1.799), respectively. For FVC% below the LLN, aORs were 1.233 (1.065–1.428), 1.334 (1.159–1.536), and 1.745 (1.506–2.021), respectively. Both trends were statistically significant (all P for trend < 0.001). In contrast, the aORs for FEV1/FVC below the LLN showed no significant differences among groups (P for trend = 0.186). Conclusions We found a significant association between higher TyG index values and decreased lung function in a large sample of healthy Koreans. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality and explore the long-term implications of this relationship on respiratory health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03869-6Triglyceride-glucose indexInsulin resistanceSpirometryLung functionHealthy population
spellingShingle Hyun-Il Gil
Sungwon Lim
Min-Jung Kwon
Soo-Youn Ham
Jonghoo Lee
Jae-Uk Song
The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Triglyceride-glucose index
Insulin resistance
Spirometry
Lung function
Healthy population
title The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
title_full The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
title_fullStr The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
title_short The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals: a cross-sectional study of 89,809 participants from Kangbuk Samsung health study
title_sort relationship between the triglyceride glucose index and lung function in healthy individuals a cross sectional study of 89 809 participants from kangbuk samsung health study
topic Triglyceride-glucose index
Insulin resistance
Spirometry
Lung function
Healthy population
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-025-03869-6
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