Background:

The triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) index has been proposed as an indicator of cardiovascular risk. In Mexico, there is a study in young adults that relates it to insulin resistance, but no cutoff point that identifies subjects with metabolic syndrome has been defined.

Objective:

To determine the cutoff point for the TG/HDL index that identifies subjects with metabolic syndrome in the Mexican population.

Methods:

Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the criteria established by the Third Report of the Adult Treatment Panel of the National Cholesterol Education Program adapted to the Mexican population. To identify the TG/HDL index cutoff point, ROC curve analysis and the Youden index were used.

Results:

1,318 subjects aged 40.9 ± 13.0 years participated in the study; 65.6% were women and 34.4% men; 41.2% had metabolic syndrome. The TG/HDL index obtained an area under the curve of 0.85 and an optimal cutoff point value ≥ 3.46, with a sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 76.4%.

Conclusions:

TG/HDL index cutoff point ≥ 3.46 is suitable for identifying subjects with metabolic syndrome in the Mexican population.