Dietary carbohydrates, glycemic load and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations among South Indian adults

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 413 - 420
• Main Authors: Radhika, G, Ganesan, A, Sathya, R.M, Sudha, V, Mohan, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-03-2009; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adult; Asian Indians; Biological and medical sciences; blood lipids; carbohydrate intake; Carbohydrates; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chemotherapy; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Clinical Nutrition; Coronary artery; Coronary artery disease; Coronary heart disease; Density; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diet; dietary carbohydrate; Dietary Carbohydrates - pharmacology; Dietary intake; Drug therapy; Dyslipidemia; Epidemiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gender differences; Glycemic index; Glycemic Index - physiology; Heart diseases; High density lipoprotein; human nutrition; Humans; India; Internal Medicine; Lipoproteins; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Men; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Multivariate Analysis; nutrition physiology; Nutrition research; original-article; Population studies; Properties; Public Health; Risk factors; Risk groups; Sex Factors; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood; Urban Population; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; women; India; Asia; Southeast Asia; carbohydrates; glycemic index; glycemic load; South Asians; Asian Indians; HDL-cholesterol; Human; Metabolic diseases; Glycemic index; Concentration; Glycemic load; Feeding; Diet; Cholesterol HDL; Adult; Indian; Serum; Carbohydrate
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602951

Objective: To examine the relationship between dietary carbohydrates, glycemic load and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations in Asian Indians, a high-risk group for diabetes and premature coronary artery disease. Subjects/methods: The study population comprised of 2043 individuals aged >or= 20 years randomly selected from Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (CURES), an ongoing population-based study on a representative population of Chennai (formerly Madras) city in southern India. Participants with self-reported history of diabetes or heart disease or on drug therapy for dyslipidemia were excluded from the study. Dietary carbohydrates, glycemic index and glycemic load were assessed using a validated interviewer administered semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Results: Both dietary glycemic load (P<0.0001) and total dietary carbohydrate intake (P<0.001) were significantly associated with higher serum triglyceride levels and lower serum HDL-C levels. For the lowest to highest quintile of glycemic load, the multivariate-adjusted mean HDL-C values were 44.1 mg per 100 ml and 41.2 mg per 100 ml (6.6% difference, P for trend<0.001), while for total carbohydrate it was less (5% difference, P for trend=0.016). The pattern of decrease in HDL-C for the lowest to highest quintile of glycemic load was more pronounced among men (1st vs 5th quintile: adjusted HDL-C: 4.3 mg per 100 ml decrease (10.3%)) than women (1st vs 5th quintile: adjusted HDL-C: 3.2 mg per 100 ml decrease (6.9%)). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that both total carbohydrates and dietary glycemic load intake are inversely associated with plasma HDL-C concentrations among Asian Indians, with dietary glycemic load having a stronger association.