Association of Carbohydrate and Fat Intake with Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Can Be Modified by Physical Activity and Physical Environment in Ecuadorian Adults: The ENSANUT-ECU Study

Christian F Juna,Hyojee Joung,Yoonhee Cho,Dongwoo Ham

doi:10.3390/nu13061834

Christian F Juna, Hyojee Joung + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061834

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Abstract

The associations of lifestyle and environment with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular disease have recently resulted in increased attention in research. This study aimed to examine interactive associations among carbohydrate and fat intake, physical environment (i.e., elevation and humidity), lifestyle, and MetS among Ecuadorian adults. We used data from the Ecuador National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 (ENSANUT-ECU), with a total of 6023 participants aged 20 to 60 years included in this study. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of status of carbohydrate and fat intake, low-carbohydrate high-fat diet (LCHF) and medium-carbohydrate and fat (MCF) diet with MetS, where the high-carbohydrate low-fat (HCLF) diet was used as a reference. Women with LCHF and MCF diets showed lower prevalence of increased blood pressure (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19–0.59; OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32–0.79, respectively). Women with MCF diet also showed lower prevalence of elevated fasting glucose (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37–0.91). Moreover, there were negative associations between MetS and reduced HDL cholesterol in women with MCF diet residing in low relative humidity (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45–0.98) and in women with LCHF diet residing at a high elevation (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.16–0.86). Additionally, higher prevalence of increased waist circumference was observed in men with both MFC and LCHF diets who were physically inactive (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.12–3.20; OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.19–4.60, respectively) and residing in high relative humidity (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.08–2.89; OR = 2.63, 95% CI: 1.32–5.28, respectively). Our findings suggest that LCHF intake is associated with lower blood pressure, while MCF intake is associated with lower blood pressure and fasting glucose in Ecuadorian women. Furthermore, the associations of carbohydrate and fat intake with prevalence of MetS can be modified by physical activity, relative humidity, and elevation. The obtained outcomes may provide useful information for health programs focusing on dietary intake and lifestyle according to physical environment of the population to promote health and prevent metabolic diseases.

Highlights

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by the presence of hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and abdominal obesity, is a major public health problem [1]
We aimed to examine the associations between carbohydrate and fat intake and MetS according to health-related lifestyles and physical environment among Ecuadorian adults
MetS according to health-related lifestyles and physical environment in the Ecuadorian adult population, and found that low-carbohydrate high-fat diet (LCHF) and medium-carbohydrate and fat (MCF) diets were inversely associated with elevated blood pressure in women, while women with MCF

Summary

Introduction

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by the presence of hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and abdominal obesity, is a major public health problem [1]. It is urgent to identify potential determinants of MetS development in Ecuador for better strategies to prevent MetS onset, as well as its subsequent diseases. Physical environment (i.e., elevation and humidity), and health-related lifestyles have been identified to lead to onset of MetS, though exact causes remain unknown [7,8,9,10]. In reference to environmental and lifestyle factors, low elevation (80%), inadequate food intake, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and physical inactivity have been reported as risk factors for MetS development [7,8,11,12,13]. An extensive investigation between dietary intake and MetS has not yet been made among Ecuadorians, and most data in healthy population come from research in high-income countries, where findings on this topic are yet controversial [14,15,16,17]

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