Association between remnant cholesterol and abdominal aortic calcification: Exploratory mediation analysis involving diabetes and insulin resistance in the general population

= 0.005). The results of subgroup analyses showed that no statistically significant interaction across variables. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounted for 6.76% of the association between RC and AAC, whereas insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) explained 23.4% of this relationship, both showing significant indirect effects. RC was positively associated with AAC score, and higher RC levels were related to higher risk of severe AAC, with both T2DM and insulin resistance acting as mediators.