Evaluation of the effects of short-term PM2.5 exposure on triglyceride-glucose metrics in a population in eastern China.

Abstract

Context: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a novel health indicator, has been widely employed to assess insulin resistance (IR). However, its relationship with fine particulate matter (PM) exposure remains inadequately investigated.

Objective: This study endeavors to probe the association between PM_2.5 and TyG within the population of eastern China and to determine whether there are disparities in this association among diverse subgroups.

Methods: We conducted an ecological study on a cohort comprising 39,011 individuals who had undergone at least two physical examinations between 2017 and 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China. TyG levels concerning short-term PM_2.5 exposure were examined using a generalized additive model.

Results: In the overall population, at lags of 0-7 and 0-14 days in the single-pollutant model, it was observed that a 10 µg/m³ rise in PM_2.5 corresponded to a 0.0021 elevation in TyG levels. In the multi-pollutant models, at 0-7 and 0-14 days lags, a comparable increase in PM_2.5 resulted in an increase in TyG of 0.0073 and 0.0044, respectively. The association remained significant in the subgroup analyses.

Conclusion: PM_2.5 exposure is related to the TyG index. Controlling air pollution might contribute to maintainin normal lipid metabolism function.