While C-reactive protein-triglycerides-glucose (CTI)-related indices are associated with future depression risk, their link to incident depression in populations across CKM stages 0-4 remains unestablished.<h4>Methods</h4>This prospective cohort included 3,130 depression-free participants across CKM stages 0-4 from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Here, CRP is linked to major depressive disorder.