The TyG index could be useful as surrogate to identify insulin resistance in apparently healthy subjects.

The TyG index has high sensitivity and specificity, suggesting that it could be useful for identification of subjects with decreased insulin sensitivity.

Obesity is a public health problem that has reached epidemic proportions with an increasing worldwide prevalence. The global emergence of obesity increases the risk of developing chronic metabolic disorders. Thus, it is an economic issue that increased the costs of the comorbidities associated. Moreover, in recent years, it has been demonstrated that obesity is associated with chronic systemic inflammation, this status is conditioned by the innate immune system activation in adipose tissue that promotes an increase in the production and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the triggering of the systemic acute-phase response which is characterized by elevation of acute-phase protein levels. On this regard, low-grade chronic inflammation is a characteristic of various chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and some cancers, among others, which are also characterized by obesity condition. Thus, a growing body of evidence supports the important role that is played by the inflammatory response in obesity condition and the pathogenesis of chronic diseases related.

Objective Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease characterized by excess lipid deposition in the hepatic tissue and subsequent oxidative and inflammatory damage. Curcumin is a dietary polyphenol with lipid-modifying, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of supplementation with phytosomal curcumin in subjects with NAFLD.Methods Patients diagnosed with NAFLD (grades 1-3 according to liver ultrasonography) were randomly assigned to the curcumin (phytosomal form; 1 000 mg/day in 2 divided doses) (n = 50) or placebo group (n = 52) for a period of 8 weeks. All patients received dietary and lifestyle advises before the start of trial. Anthropometric measurements, hepatic enzymes, and liver ultrasonography were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks of follow-up.Results 87 subjects (n = 44 and 43 in the curcumin and control group, respectively) completed the trial. Supplementation with curcumin was associated with a reduction in body mass index ( − 0.99 ± 1.25 vs.− 0.15 ± 1.31 in the curcumin and placebo groups, respectively; p = 0.003) and waist circumference ( − 1.74 ± 2.58 vs. − 0.23 ± 3.49 in the curcumin and placebo groups, respectively; p = 0.024). Ultrasonographic findings were improved in 75.0 % of subjects in the curcumin group, while the rate of improvement in the control group was 4.7 % (p < 0.001).Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were reduced by the end of trial in the curcumin group (p < 0.001) but elevated in the control group (p < 0.001). Curcumin was safe and well tolerated during the course of trial.Conclusion Short-term supplementation with curcumin improves liver fat and transaminase levels in patients with NAFLD.

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