Background
Testosterone decline and deficiency in males have aroused increased attention in male health management, which might have a close relationship with insulin resistance (IR).
Objectives
We utilized a novel and practical IR indicator, the triglyceride‐glucose (TyG) index, to investigate the association between the TyG index and serum testosterone in US adult males.
Materials and methods
This was a cross‐sectional study based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014 and 2015–2016. The TyG index was calculated from fasting plasma glucose and serum triglyceride, and serum testosterone was measured by isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in NHANES.
Results
A total of 2186 male participants aged more than 20 years old were included, and the mean TyG index was 8.72 ± 0.71. Participants with a higher TyG index showed a lower level of total testosterone (β = −45.83, 95% CI: −58.50, −33.15, p < 0.0001) and a higher risk of testosterone deficiency (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.21, p < 0.0001) after we adjusted for all potential cofounders. Males in TyG index tertile 3 had a 113% (95% CI: 1.50, 3.02, p < 0.0001) higher risk of testosterone deficiency than those in tertile 1. Subgroup analysis stratified by diabetes condition indicated that the TyG index might be a good predictor of testosterone decline or deficiency in either people with or without diabetes. However, ROC cure analysis indicated that a larger area under the curve was found in the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) (0.71, 95% CI: 0.68,0.74) than in the TyG index (0.67, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.70).
Conclusions
Males with a higher TyG index tended to have a higher risk of testosterone decline or even testosterone deficiency. However, the predictability of the TyG index for testosterone deficiency was not better than that of HOMA‐IR. More well‐designed studies are still needed to validate this relationship.