Association between atherogenic index of plasma and depression in individuals with different glucose metabolism status.

Background: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) has been implicated in various disease processes, yet its relationship with depression, particularly in the context of differing glucose metabolism status, remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between AIP and depression in middle-aged and older adults with varying glucose metabolism profiles.

Methods: Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) conducted in 2011 and 2018, encompassing 7,723 participants aged 45 years and above. Depression was defined using a cutoff score of ≥12 on the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). The primary outcome of interest was incident depression. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to assess the relationship between baseline AIP levels and depression risk across distinct glucose metabolism categories.

Results: Elevated AIP was strongly associated with increased odds of depression. In fully adjusted models, a graded relationship was observed, with higher quartiles of AIP corresponding to greater depression risk. Participants in the highest AIP quartile (Q4) had significantly increased odds of depression (odds ratio [OR]: 3.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.67-4.24, P < 0.001) compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1). Furthermore, RCS analyses revealed a significant positive association between AIP and incident depression among individuals with prediabetes mellitus (Pre-DM) and diabetes mellitus (DM) (P < 0.001), whereas no such association was found in participants with normal glucose regulation (NGR) (P = 0.086). These findings suggest that glucose metabolism status modifies the relationship between AIP and depression risk.

Conclusion: Higher baseline AIP levels are significantly associated with an increased risk of depression in middle-aged and older adults, with distinct effects modulated by glucose metabolism status. These results highlight the potential utility of AIP as a biomarker for depression risk and suggest that metabolic health should be considered in the development of targeted strategies for depression prevention and intervention.