The impact of the metabolic score for insulin resistance on cardiovascular disease: a 10-year follow-up cohort study

Relationship between METS-IR and thyroid cancer incidence in Korea: a nationwide population-based study

Background

Several previous studies found a positive relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and thyroid cancer (TC) risk. However, there is no research that has studied the relationship between the metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR), a novel surrogate marker for IR, and TC incidence. Thus, we designed this retrospective cohort study to evaluate the relationship between the incidence of TC and METS-IR.

Method

We analyzed a cohort of 314,321 Korean adults aged over 40 years who participated in the National Health Screening Program from 2009 to 2010. The individuals were divided into four groups based on METS-IR quartiles. Follow-up was until the diagnosis of TC or death, or until December 31, 2019, if neither. The relationship between METS-IR and TC incidence was analyzed using the Cox proportional-hazards model with multi-variable adjustments.

Results

A total of 4,137 participants (1.3%) were diagnosed with TC during a mean follow-up of 9.5 ± 1.5 years. The population with Q1 METS-IR scores showed higher disease-free probabilities than those with Q4 METS-IR scores (p <0.001). The hazard ratio (95% confidential interval) for TC incidence in Q2, Q3, and Q4 METS-IR value were 1.14 (1.05 to 1.25), 1.21 (1.11 to 1.33), and 1.30 (1.18 to 1.42) compared with Q1 of METS-IR, respectively. The incidence of TC tended to increase with increasing METS-IR values in the total population, especially the male population in the restricted cubic spline. In subgroup analysis, the TC risk was more pronounced in the subgroups under 65 and with a BMI < 25 kg/m2.

Conclusion

METS-IR was positively correlated with TC incidence in Korea.

Adipocentric origin of the common cardiometabolic complications of obesity in the young up to the very old: pathophysiology and new therapeutic opportunities

Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease characterized by an excess of adipose tissue, affecting people of all ages. In the last 40 years, the incidence of overweight and obesity almost tripled worldwide. The accumulation of "visceral" adipose tissue increases with aging, leading to several cardio-metabolic consequences: from increased blood pressure to overt arterial hypertension, from insulin-resistance to overt type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and obstructive sleep apnea. The increasing use of innovative drugs, namely glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i), is changing the management of obesity and its related cardiovascular complications significantly. These drugs, first considered only for T2DM treatment, are now used in overweight patients with visceral adiposity or obese patients, as obesity is no longer just a risk factor but a critical condition at the basis of common metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal diseases. An adipocentric vision and approach should become the cornerstone of visceral overweight and obesity integrated management and treatment, reducing and avoiding the onset of obesity-related multiple risk factors and their clinical complications. According to recent progress in basic and clinical research on adiposity, this narrative review aims to contribute to a novel clinical approach focusing on pathophysiological and therapeutic insights.

Metabolic score for insulin resistance predicts major adverse cardiovascular event in premature coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND

The Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (METS-IR) index serves as a simple surrogate marker for insulin resistance (IR) and is associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the prognostic significance of METS-IR in patients with premature CAD remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the prognostic value of METS-IR in premature CAD.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 582 patients diagnosed with premature CAD between December 2012 and July 2019. The median follow-up duration was 63 months (interquartile range, 44-81 months). The primary endpoint was Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE), defined as a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), repeat coronary artery revascularization, and non-fatal stroke.

RESULTS

Patients with MACE had significantly higher METS-IR levels than those without MACE (44.88±8.11 vs. 41.68±6.87, p<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival curves based on METS-IR tertiles demonstrated a statistically significant difference (log-rank test, p<0.001). In the fully adjusted model, the Hazard Ratio (95% CI) for MACE was 1.41 (1.16-1.72) per SD increase in METS-IR, and the P for trend based on METS-IR tertiles was 0.001 for MACE. Time-dependent Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis of METS-IR yielded an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.74 at 2 years, 0.69 at 4 years, and 0.63 at 6 years.

CONCLUSIONS

METS-IR serves as a reliable prognostic predictor of MACE in patients with premature CAD. Therefore, METS-IR may be considered a novel, cost-effective, and dependable indicator for risk stratification and early intervention in premature CAD.

Prevalence, characteristics and significant predictors for cardiovascular disease of patients with preserved ratio impaired spirometry: A 10-year prospective cohort study in China

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Patients with preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRIsm) have higher incidence rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, few studies focused on PRIsm in China. We determined the prevalence and characteristics of patients with PRIsm in Chinese population. We also aimed to investigate the significant predictive factors of CVD in PRIsm patients.

METHODS

In total, 6994 subjects aged from 35 to 70 years old and free of CVD at baseline were categorized into normal (n = 3895), PRIsm (the ratio of forced expired volume in the first second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) ≥0.7 and FEV1 <80 % predicted; n = 1997) and obstructive spirometry (FEV1:FVC<0.7; n = 1102). Cox proportional hazards multivariable regression was performed to investigate how baseline characteristics impact CVD incidence.

RESULTS

In participants with PRIsm, men had a 0.68-fold higher risk of CVD incidence than women (HR, 1.68; 95%CI, 1.09-2.59; p = 0.020). Our study showed that the rate of CVD incidence increased by 6.0 % with every year's increase in age (HR, 1.06; 95%CI, 1.04-1.09; p < 0.001). A 0.1 increase in FEV1/FVC was significantly associated with a 23.0 % decrease in CVD incidence (HR, 0.77; 95%CI, 0.61-0.97; p = 0.028). Family history of CVD greatly increased the risk of cardiovascular disease incidence (HR, 1.83; 95%CI, 1.18-2.83; p = 0.007). Higher BMI was also a significant risk factor of CVD incidence (HR, 1.06; 95%CI, 1.01-1.10; p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of PRIsm in China was high. PRIsm subjects should be monitored carefully, especially for the older, male, those with higher BMI, lower FEV1/FVC and family history of CVD.

Triglyceride-glucose index as a suitable non-insulin-based insulin resistance marker to predict cardiovascular events in patients undergoing complex coronary artery intervention: a large-scale cohort study

BACKGROUND

Insulin resistance (IR), a hallmark of proceeding diabetes and cardiovascular (CV) disease, has been shown to predict prognosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) have been shown to be simple and reliable non-insulin-based surrogates for IR. However, limited studies have determined the associations between distinct non-insulin-based IR markers and CV outcomes in patients undergoing complex PCI who are at higher risk of CV events after PCI. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate and compare the prognostic value of these markers in patients undergoing complex PCI.

METHODS

This was a descriptive cohort study. From January 2017 to December 2018, a total of 9514 patients undergoing complex PCI at Fuwai Hospital were consecutively enrolled in this study. The 3 IR indices were estimated from the included patients. The primary study endpoint was CV events, defined as a composite of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 3.1 years, 324 (3.5%) CV events occurred. Multivariable Cox regression models showed per-unit increase in the TyG index (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-1.77), rather than per-unit elevation in either Ln(TG/HDL-C ratio) (HR, 1.18; 95%CI 0.96-1.45) or METS-IR (HR, 1.00; 95%CI 0.98-1.02), was associated with increased risk of CV events. Meanwhile, adding the TyG index to the original model led to a significant improvement in C-statistics (0.618 vs. 0.627, P < 0.001), NRI (0.12, P = 0.031) and IDI (0.14%, P = 0.003), whereas no significant improvements were observed when adding Ln (TG/HDL-C ratio) or METS-IR (both P > 0.05) to the original model.

CONCLUSIONS

The TyG index, not TG/HDL-C ratio and METS-IR, was positively associated with worse CV outcomes in patients undergoing complex PCI. Our study, for the first time, demonstrated that the TyG index can serve as the suitable non-insulin-based IR marker to help in risk stratification and prognosis in this population.

Impact of the baseline insulin resistance surrogates and their longitudinal trajectories on cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke): a prospective cohort study in rural China

Background

This study aimed to assess the association of baseline insulin resistance (IR) surrogates and their longitudinal trajectories with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) to provide a useful reference for preventing CVD.

Methods

This study was a prospective cohort study conducted in the 51st Regiment of the Third Division of Xinjiang Corps. A total of 6362 participants were recruited in 2016 to conduct the baseline survey, and the follow-up surveys in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of CVD according to the baseline IR surrogates of metabolic insulin resistance score (METS-IR) and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index. Cox regression models were used to assess the association between the baseline IR surrogates and CVD. The impact of the longitudinal trajectories of the IR surrogates on CVD was analyzed after excluding those with IR surrogate data measured ≤2 times. Based on the group-based trajectory model (GBTM), the trajectory patterns of IR surrogates were determined. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the cumulative incidence of CVD in each trajectory group of METS-IR and TyG index. Cox regression models were used to analyze the association between different trajectory groups of each index and CVD. In addition, the Framingham model was utilized to evaluate whether the addition of the baseline IR surrogates increased the predictive potential of the model.

Results

Baseline data analysis included 4712 participants. During a median follow-up of 5.66 years, 572 CVD events were recorded (mean age, 39.42 ± 13.67 years; males, 42.9%). The cumulative CVD incidence increased with the ascending baseline METS-IR and TyG index quartiles (Q1-Q4). The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for CVD risk in Q4 of the METS-IR and TyG index were 1.79 (1.25, 2.58) and 1.66 (1.28, 2.17), respectively, when compared with Q1. 4343 participants were included in the trajectory analysis, based on the longitudinal change patterns of the METS-IR and TyG index, the following three trajectory groups were identified: low-increasing, moderate-stable, and elevated-increasing groups. Multivariate Cox regression revealed that the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for CVD risk in the elevated-increasing trajectory group of the METS-IR and TyG index was 2.13 (1.48, 3.06) and 2.63 (1.68, 4.13), respectively, when compared with the low-rising group. The C-index, integrated discrimination improvement value, and net reclassification improvement value were enhanced after adding the baseline METS-IR and TyG index values to the Framingham model (P<0.05).

Conclusions

Elevated baseline IR surrogates and their higher long-term trajectories were strongly associated with a high risk of CVD incidence in Xinjiang's rural areas. Regular METS-IR and TyG index monitoring can aid in the early detection of CVD-risk groups.

Magnitude and time course of insulin resistance accumulation with the risk of cardiovascular disease: an 11-years cohort study

BACKGROUND

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) depended on the magnitude and exposure duration of insulin resistance (IR). This study aimed to investigate the associations of cumulative metabolic score for IR (cumMETS-IR) with incident CVD, and to further explore the modulated effects of time course of METS-IR accumulation.

METHODS

We enrolled 47,270 participants without CVD and underwent three examinations during 2006-2010 from the Kailuan study. CumMETS-IR from 2006 to 2010 were calculated as the mean values of METS-IR between consecutive examinations multiplying by time intervals between visits. Time course of METS-IR accumulation was calculated as the slope of METS-IR versus time. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD risk were calculated with multivariable-adjusted Cox regressions.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 10.99 years, we identified 3184 cases of incident CVD. The risk of incident CVD increased with increasing cumMETS-IR (HR, 1.77; 95% CI 1.58-1.98 for the Q4 versus Q1 group), exposure duration (HR, 1.60; 95% CI 1.45-1.77 for 6 years versus 0 years), and cumulative burden (HR, 1.49; 95% CI 1.37-1.61 for burden ≥ 0 versus < 0). A positive slope was associated with 14% higher risk of CVD (HR, 1.14; 95% CI 1.07-1.22). When combining cumMETS-IR and slope, those with cumMETS-IR ≥ median (142.78) and slope ≥ 0 had the highest risk of CVD (HR,1.38; 95% CI 1.25-1.53).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of CVD increased with elevated cumMETS-IR and an increasing trend over time, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimal METS-IR levels across life span.

The metabolic score for insulin resistance as a predictor of clinical outcome in stroke patients treated by intravenous thrombolysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Insulin resistance is associated with clinical outcomes among patients with ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the association between metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) and clinical outcomes in stroke patients treated by intravenous thrombolysis (IVT).

METHODS

We recruited participants treated with IVT from a prospective registry including 3 stroke centers. Poor outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale score ≥ 3 points at 90 days after the index stroke. We performed logistic regression models to investigate the association between METS-IR and the risk of poor outcome. We used the receiver operative characteristic to assess the discriminative ability and the restricted cubic spline to explore the relationship between METS-IR and the poor outcome.

RESULTS

This study enrolled a total of 1074 patients (median age, 68; 63.8% male). Three hundred sixty (33.5%) patients had poor outcome after IVT. METS-IR was associated with the risk of the poor outcome with the increase of confounding factors in models (odds ratio [OR], 1.078; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.058-1.099; P < 0.001). The area under the curve for METS-IR for predicting the poor outcome was 0.790 (95% CI, 0.761-0.819). The restricted cubic spline revealed an increasing and non-linear association between METS-IR and the poor outcome (P for non-linearity < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study found that METS-IR was associated with an increased risk of poor outcome after IVT. Further studies are warranted to investigate the efficacy of anti-diabetic agents regarding IR on clinical outcomes after IVT.

The metabolic score for insulin resistance in the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients after coronary artery bypass surgery: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) is a simple, convenient, and reliable marker for resistance insulin (IR), which has been regarded as a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular events. However, few studies examined the relationship between METS-IR and prognosis after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). This study aimed to investigate the potential value of METS-IR as a prognostic indicator for the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients after CABG.

METHOD

1100 CABG patients were enrolled in the study, including 760 men (69.1%) and 340 women (30.9%). The METS-IR was calculated as Ln [(2 × FPG (mg/dL) + fasting TG (mg/dL)] × BMI (kg/m²)/Ln [HDL-C (mg/dL)]. The primary endpoint of this study was the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery revascularization, and stroke.

RESULT

The following-up time of this study was 49-101 months (median, 70 months; interquartile range, 62-78 months). During the follow-up period, there were 243 MACEs (22.1%). The probability of cumulative incidence of MACE increased incrementally across the quartiles of METS-IR (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated a hazard ratio (95% CI) of 1.97 (1.36-2.86) for MACE in quartile 4 compared with participants in quartile 1. The addition of the METS-IR to the model with fully adjusting variables significantly improved its predictive value [C-statistic increased from 0.702 to 0.720, p < 0.001, continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI) = 0.305, < 0.001, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) = 0.021, p < 0.001].

CONCLUSION

METS-IR is an independent and favorable risk factor for predicting the occurrence of MACE and can be used as a simple and reliable indicator that can be used for risk stratification and early intervention in patients after CABG.

Association between non-insulin-based insulin resistance indices and cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Insulin resistance (IR) has been confirmed that getting involved in the pathophysiological process of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recently, increasing evidence suggests metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio, triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index, triglyceride glucose-body mass (TyG-BMI) index are simple and reliable surrogates for IR. However, their abilities in predicting cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association and evaluate the predictive performance of each index.

METHODS

A total of 2533 consecutive participants undergoing PCI were included in this study, and the data from 1461 patients were used to determine the correlation of these non-insulin-based IR indices with major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) via performing the multivariate logistic models and restricted cubic splines (RCS).

RESULTS

During a median of 29.8 months follow-up, 195 cases of 1461 patients experienced incident MACCEs. In the overall population, both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated no statistically significant connection between these IR indices and MACCEs. Subgroup analyses revealed significant interactions between age subgroups and TyG-BMI index, as well as METS-IR, and between sex subgroups and TyG index. In elderly patients, per 1.0-SD increment in TyG-BMI index and METS-IR had a significant association with MACCEs, with odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 1.24 (1.02-1.50) and 1.27 (1.04-1.56), respectively (both P < 0.05). Moreover, in female patients, all the IR indices showed significant associations with MACCEs. Multivariable-adjusted RCS curves demonstrated a linear relationship between METS-IR and MACCEs in elderly and female patients, respectively. However, all the IR indices failed to enhance the predictive performance of the basic risk model for MACCEs.

CONCLUSION

All the four IR indices showed a significant association with MACCEs in female individuals, whereas only TyG-BMI index and METS-IR showed associations in elderly patients. Although the inclusion of these IR indices did not improve the predictive power of basic risk model in either female or elderly patients, METS-IR appears to be the most promising index for secondary prevention of MACCEs and risk stratification in patients undergoing PCI.