Value of the triglyceride glucose index combined with body mass index in identifying non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background The triglyceride glucose index combined with body mass index is a new index that reflects the degree of insulin resistance. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore the predictive value of the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) in relation to the occurrence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the Chinese population with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods We selected 826 patients with T2D who were hospitalized at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Karamay People's Hospital from September 2016 to October 2018 for this research. The height, weight, fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, and lipid profiles of the subjects were collected. The liver ultrasound showed any degree of echogenic enhancement of liver tissue and the liver appeared brighter than the renal cortex on ultrasound were considered to be NAFLD. The logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate associations between the triglyceride glucose index (TyG), TyG-BMI index, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and the ratio of the triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol with a diagnosis of NAFLD. The receiver operating characteristic curve method was used to analyze its predictive value for NAFLD. Results Results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratios of NAFLD were 6.535 (3.70-11.53) and 4.868 (2.576-9.200) for the TyG-BMI before and after correction,respectively(P < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for TyG-BMI was 0.727 (0.691-0.764), which was the highest among all the other parameters studied. Conclusion Compared with the TyG index, the TG/HDL-C and HOMA-IR, the TyG-BMI was a more effective predictor of NAFLD in T2D.