Front Nutr. 2026 Jul 1;13:1810515. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1810515. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that the triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio is closely related to chronic kidney disease and albuminuria. However, the evidence linking TG/HDL-C ratios to albuminuria among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains limited. Given the heightened susceptibility of this high-risk population to kidney and cardiovascular ailments, this study concentrated on individuals with T2D to investigate the association between TG/HDL-C and albuminuria.
METHODS: A total of 2,323 people diagnosed with T2D participated in this cross-sectional research. The relationship between TG/HDL-C and albuminuria prevalence was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to identify nonlinear relationships. The ability of TG/HDL-C versus other markers to distinguish albuminuria was examined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Further subgroup analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity across different populations. In addition, we explored whether serum uric acid (SUA) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) accounted for part of the association between TG/HDL-C and albuminuria.
RESULTS: The albuminuria group and the non-albuminuria group showed a significant difference in TG/HDL-C. Additionally, the prevalence of albuminuria increased progressively across ascending quartiles of TG/HDL-C. RCS curve analysis revealed that albuminuria and TG/HDL-C do not follow a linear relationship (P-overall < 0.001; P-nonlinear < 0.001), with a threshold observed at a TG/HDL-C ratio of 2.08. Furthermore, TG/HDL-C demonstrated relatively higher discrimination, particularly in women. Subgroup analysis indicated that among female T2D patients, TG/HDL-C was more strongly linked to UACR. Exploratory mediation analysis suggested that blood glucose and oxidative stress may contribute to the indirect pathway linking TG/HDL-C and albuminuria.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the TG/HDL-C ratio was positively associated with the prevalence of albuminuria in patients with T2D. However, causal inference is limited by the cross-sectional design. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
PMID:42459793 | PMC:PMC13368516 | DOI:10.3389/fnut.2026.1810515