Carbohydrate Intake and Hyperlipidemia among Population with High-Carbohydrate Diets: The Health Examinees Gem Study

Scope The association between carbohydrate intake from low-, medium-, and high-glycemic index (GI) foods and hyperlipidemia among population with a high-carbohydrate diet is examined. Methods and results A total of 93,870 participants of the Health Examinees Study (HEXA) are included in this cross-sectional study. The odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) are estimated using the logistic regression model. The mean (interquartile range) of % energy from carbohydrate intake is 72.05 (67.73-77.18)% per day. Increasing intake of carbohydrate replacing fat is associated with increasing prevalence of high triglyceride (TG) and low HDL-cholesterol, with stronger association for high-GI carbohydrates than low- or med-GI carbohydrates. ORs (95% CIs) comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles of high-GI carbohydrates are 1.27 (1.09, 1.48) among men and 1.51 (1.31, 1.74) among women for high TG; and 1.50 (1.24, 1.82) among men and 1.73 (1.54, 1.93) among women for low-HDL-cholesterol. High-GI carbohydrate intake replacing fat is inversely associated with the prevalence of high LDL- and total cholesterol. More pronounced associations in body mass index (BMI) <25 kg m(-2) than higher BMI are found. Conclusions Increasing low-quality carbohydrate intake is associated with increasing prevalence of high TGs and low HDL-cholesterol.