Relationship between dietary carbohydrate quality index and metabolic syndrome among type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects: a case-control study from Ghana

BACKGROUND: Dietary carbohydrate quality may play an important role in disease development. We evaluated the association between carbohydrate quality index (CQI) and the odds of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects in Ghana. METHODS: In this case-control study, we analyzed data using 124 T2DM subjects. We obtained dietary information using 2-day 24-h dietary recalls. We calculated CQI from dietary fiber, glycemic index, whole grains/total grains ratio, and solid carbohydrates/total carbohydrates ratio. Serum lipid profiles were measured after an overnight fast of 8–12 h. RESULTS: Upon adjustments for the effects of covariates, the CQI showed a positive association with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration (beta coefficient (β) = 0.24; standard error (SE) = 0.20; P for trend = 0.01), and an inverse relationship with waist circumference (β = − 17.29; SE = 4.00; P for trend < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (β = − 15.74; SE = 4.69; P for trend < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (β = − 7.23; SE = 2.97; P for trend = 0.02), and triglyceride concentrations (β = − 0.43; SE = 0.11; P for trend < 0.001). Overall, the CQI had an inverse relationship with the odds of MetS (Odds ratio (tertile 3 vs.1) 0.05; 95% Confidence interval: 0.01–0.23; p-trend < 0.001). Also, a positive correlation was found between the CQI and fiber, but the CQI showed a negative relationship with dietary glycemic index. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest an inverse association between the CQI of a diet and the odds of MetS. The CQI approach of dietary recommendation may be a useful strategy for dietary carbohydrate selection for the prevention of MetS.