Background and Objective: There is evidence that the triglyceride-to-HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio is strongly associated with insulin resistance and is a significant predictor of CVD. In 2005, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) proposed a new worldwide definition of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) with the emphasis that insulin resistance is the key component of the disorder. The purpose of this investigation was to reexamine a previously established random and representative sample of a Newfoundland population to assess the interrelationship between the TG/HDL-C ratio and MetSyn.
Participants and Methods: In 1991-1993, 791 males and females from 3 rural areas in Newfoundland aged 35-65 were enrolled in a community trial looking at the effectiveness of lifestyle counseling. In this cohort, a unique set of anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory data was collected at baseline. MetSyn was defined based on the IDF criteria. The upper tertile of the distribution of TG/HDL-C ratio was used to determine the cut point for elevated TG/HDL-C concentration. Baseline characteristics between those with and without an elevated TG/HDL-C ratio were compared using t test and chi-square analyses.
Results: Seven hundred thirty respondents were included in this study, after exclusion of missing lipid profile data. The overall prevalence of MetSyn was 42.3%. According to the cut point for the third tertile of TG/HDL-C ratio, a value of 2.0 or greater was established as a high TG/HDL-C ratio in this population. Baseline characteristics between those with and without an elevated TG/HDL-C ratio are shown in the table.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the triglyceride-to-HDL cholesterol ratio appears to identify a large proportion of those with metabolic syndrome and, thus, could be a simple screening tool to capture individuals with this syndrome.