Abstract
This study investigated the blood lipid levels of 5921 Chinese adults aged >18 years using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey 2009. Diet information was collected through 3 day, 24 h recalls by trained professionals. The low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) score was determined according to the percentage of energy obtained from carbohydrate, protein, and fat consumption. Dyslipidemia was defined when one or more of the following abnormal lipid levels were observed: high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using logistic regression models. After adjusting the confounding variables, in males, the OR of hypercholesterolemia was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.23–2.85; p for trend = 0.0017) and the OR of hypertriglyceridemia was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.04–2.06; p for trend = 0.0336), on comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the LCD score. The animal-based LCD score showed a similar trend. The OR of hypercholesterolemia was 2.15 (95% CI, 1.41–3.29; p for trend = 0.0006) and the OR of hypertriglyceridemia was 1.51 (95% CI, 1.09–2.10; p for trend = 0.0156). However, there was no significant difference between plant-based LCD scores and dyslipidemia. In females, lipid profiles did not differ much among the quartiles of LCD scores—only the animal-based LCD score was statistically significant with hypercholesterolemia. The OR of hypercholesterolemia was 1.64 (95% CI, 1.06–2.55), on comparing the highest and lowest quartiles of the LCD score. In conclusion, a higher LCD score, indicating lower carbohydrate intake and higher fat intake, especially animal-based fat, was significantly associated with higher odds of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in Chinese males. Future studies investigating the potential mechanisms by which macronutrient types and sex hormones affect lipid metabolism are required.
Highlights
With an increasing prevalence worldwide, dyslipidemia has become a public health problem.Dyslipidemia is a well-known important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome [1]
Lipid profiles did not differ much among the quartiles of low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) scores—only the animal-based LCD score was statistically significant with hypercholesterolemia
Participants with higher LCD scores had higher income levels, lived in urban areas, consumed alcohol, performed more physical activity, and had higher educational levels compared to participants in Q1
Summary
With an increasing prevalence worldwide, dyslipidemia has become a public health problem. Dyslipidemia is a well-known important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome [1]. In the past 30 years, with rapid economic development and improvement in the standard of living in China, the blood lipid levels in the Chinese population have gradually increased, and the prevalence of dyslipidemia has increased significantly. In 2012, the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was 4.9%, which is 69% higher than in 2002 (2.9%); the overall prevalence of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults was. 40.4% in 2012, which was significantly higher than that in 2002 (18.6%) [2] This indicates that the health care burden of dyslipidemia and its related diseases has consistently increased in the past decade
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