Balanced TyG Index May Play a Role in Hearing Health, finds study

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common human sensory impairment, yet few studies have explored the relationship between metabolic indicators such as the Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) index and hearing health. The TyG index is an indicator of insulin resistance and metabolic health, and its association with hearing loss could provide insight into potential new strategies for hearing health management.

The study analyzed data from 1226 adults aged 20 to 69 years from the 2015–2016 NHANES data. Participants were scored into three quartiles based on their TyG index. The researchers used weighted univariate analysis, weighted multivariate linear regression analyses, and smooth curve fittings to evaluate the associations between the TyG index and pure tone hearing thresholds.

The key findings of the study were as follows:

• The study involved 1226 participants with an average age of 44.44 ± 14.11 years. The sample included 45.87% male and 54.13% female participants.

• Most participants (72.15%) were overweight, and a significant percentage had conditions such as hypertension (26.71%) and diabetes (5.94%).The mean pure tone hearing thresholds for low-frequency, speech-frequency, and high-frequency were 8.22 ± 8.49, 10.36 ± 9.57, and 20.87 ± 17.13 dB, respectively.

• A significant association was found between the continuous TyG index and low-frequency, speech-frequency, and high-frequency hearing thresholds (P < 0.001).

• Age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, noise exposure, insulin, and HbA1c were all factors significantly associated with the hearing thresholds.

• In the crude model, the continuous TyG index was significantly related to low-frequency, speech-frequency, and high-frequency hearing threshold shifts.

• However, in Model II (adjusted for confounders), the TyG index was not significantly correlated with hearing thresholds across low-frequency, speech-frequency, and high-frequency.

• In both Model I and Model II, the second tertile of the TyG index showed a negative association with high-frequency hearing threshold shifts.

• No significant relevance was found for low-frequency or speech-frequency hearing threshold shifts in Models I and II.

• The relationship between the TyG index and speech-frequency and high-frequency hearing thresholds was found to be non-linear and U-shaped.

• The inflection points were calculated at TyG index values of 8.35 for speech-frequency and 8.57 for high-frequency hearing threshold

• The hearing thresholds initially decreased with increases in TyG index, but then increased once the inflection points were exceeded.

The U-shaped association between the TyG index and hearing thresholds suggests that maintaining a balanced TyG index may be important for optimal hearing health. This finding underscores the potential link between metabolic health and sensory impairments such as SNHL.

The study's findings suggest that the TyG index has a nearly U-shaped association with both speech-frequency and high-frequency hearing thresholds, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balanced TyG index in overall health management. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between the TyG index and hearing health. Additionally, these findings may have implications for the development of new preventive and therapeutic strategies for managing SNHL.

Reference:

Pan, J.-Y., Chen, Y., Lin, Z.-H., Lv, B., Chen, L., & Feng, S.-Y. (2024). Association between triglyceride-glucose index and hearing threshold shifts of adults in the United States: National health and nutrition examination survey, 2015–2016. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 17, 1791–1801. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s454678