Low carbohydrate diet is associated with reduced risk of metabolic syndrome in Tehranian adults

Abstract

This cohort study was conducted to examine the association of low carbohydrate diet (LCD) score with risk of incident metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components after 3.6 years of follow-up in 2044 healthy adults within framework of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. The LCD was calculated according to intakes of carbohydrate, monounsaturated fatty acids, refined grains, vegetable protein, fiber, n3/n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio and glycemic load (GL), using a food frequency questionnaire at baseline. In the final model, after adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, physical activity and energy intake, there was significant association between LCD score and fasting plasma glucose (β: −0.002, 95%CI: −0.005, −0.001), triglycerides (TGs) (β: −0.002, 95%CI: −0.004, −0.001), BP (β: −0.001, 95%CI: −0.002, 0.000), WC-BMI (β: −0.003, 95%CI: −0.005, −0.001) and MetS risk Z-scores (β: −0.015, 95%CI: −0.021, −0.002). In conclusion, LCD may be associated with a decreased risk of MetS and its components in adults.

Keywords:

• Low carbohydrate diet
• metabolic syndrome
• adults

Acknowledgements

The current study was part of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study and was supported by grant no. 098 from the Research Institute of Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran. The authors express appreciation to the participants in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study for their enthusiastic support, and the staff of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study Unit of the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, for their valuable help. We would like to acknowledge Ms Niloofar Shiva for critical edition of English grammar and syntax of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.