**3. Results**

#### *3.1. Basic Characteristics by Baseline Glycemic Status*

Following the pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 20,762 participants were included in our study, among which 3859 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 5489 with prediabetes, and 11,417 with normal glucose status (Figure 1). Table 1 lists the comparison of basic characteristics by glycemic status. Many variables showed an increasing relationship among patients with normoglycemia, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes, such as age, BMI, waist, systolic blood pressure, HbA1c, and triglycerides, which may indicate a worse health status in patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Similarly, we also found that patients with abnormal glucose metabolism were more likely to have a combination of hypertension or hyperlipidemia.

**Figure 1.** Flowchart of participant selection from NHANES database. NHANES: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Interestingly, compared with the normoglycemia group [113.94 (112.40,115.48) mg/dL], patients with prediabetes had a high level of LDL-c [122.04 (119.84, 124.24) mg/dL], while patients with type 2 diabetes had a better control of LDL-c [106.52 (103.97, 109.06) mg/dL]. As for the living habits, the percentage of former smokers was higher while the percentage of current smokers was lower in the diabetic population. The proportion of moderate or heavy drinking was also lower in participants with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Moreover, participants with type 2 diabetes were less likely to participate in recreational activity.
