Cumulative CTI and its trajectory linked to cardiometabolic multimorbidity in middle-aged and older adults
In a Chinese cohort of middle-aged and older adults free of cardiometabolic multimorbidity at baseline, higher cumulative CTI and an unfavorable CTI trajectory were associated with higher risk of incident cardiometabolic multimorbidity; body roundness index partly mediated this. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The prospective CHARLS cohort 2011–2018 included 8,464 participants free of cardiometabolic multimorbidity at baseline. [1]
Over a median follow-up of 7 years, 481 incident CMM cases occurred, and each 1-unit cuCTI increment was associated with a 6% higher risk (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.09). [1]
Higher cuCTI and an unfavorable longitudinal CTI trajectory were independently associated with increased CMM risk, partly mediated by the Body Roundness Index. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Prospective cohort study (abstract)
- Population / context
- Middle-aged and older adults in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011–2018, free of cardiometabolic multimorbidity at baseline.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- June 25, 2026
CHARLS cohort of 8,464 adults free of CMM
This prospective cohort used the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011–2018 and included 8,464 participants free of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) at baseline. CTI, a composite biomarker combining C-reactive protein, triglycerides and fasting plasma glucose, was calculated in 2011 and 2015. Cumulative CTI (cuCTI) was the average of the 2011 and 2015 values multiplied by 4. Longitudinal CTI trajectories were identified with group-based trajectory modeling.
Supporting source [1]
481 CMM cases over median 7 years
During a median follow-up of 7 years, 481 incident CMM cases occurred. In fully adjusted models, each 1-unit increment in cuCTI was associated with a 6% higher risk of incident CMM (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.09). Higher cuCTI and an unfavorable longitudinal CTI trajectory were independently associated with increased risk. Mediation analysis assessed the Body Roundness Index (BRI) as a mediator, and the association was partially mediated by BRI.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope of the CTI findings
The available text is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract reports the cohort, follow-up, case count and hazard ratio, but does not give the full trajectory results, mediation effect sizes or detailed adjustment variables. The authors describe the associations as independent and partly mediated by BRI; these are observational associations, not proof of causation. The abstract's suggestion to monitor cuCTI and improve body fat distribution is framed as a possible prevention approach, not a tested intervention.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract does not report full trajectory results, mediation effect sizes or detailed adjustment variables. Associations are observational and do not establish causation.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Xiao¹ W, Wei M, Zeng Y. · europepmc.org · June 25, 2026