Low‐carbohydrate diet score is associated with improved blood pressure and cardio‐metabolic risk factors among obese adults

Obesity is associated with numerous co‐morbidities and diet, is one of the modifiable risk factors for prevention against these obesity‐related metabolic disorders. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the association between adherence to low carbohydrate diet (LCD) score and serum lipids, glycemic markers, blood pressure, and anthropometric parameters among obese individuals. The current cross‐sectional study is a combination of two projects with total participants of 359 obese individuals (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) aged 20–50 years were included. Dietary intake was assessed by a validated semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) of 132 food items. Low carbohydrate diet score was estimated by deciles of dietary intakes. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined based on the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP‐ATP III). Enzymatic methods were used to assess serum lipids, glucose, and insulin concentrations. Blood pressure was measured by sphygmomanometer and body composition with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Higher adherence to LCD score was associated with significantly lower DBP and triglyceride (TG) concentrations and increased high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐C levels after adjustment for the confounders (p < 0.05). A non‐significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and total cholesterol (TC) values were also observed. Also, high adherence to LCD score was associated with reduced prevalence of metabolic syndrome (p < 0.05). Higher BMI, fat mass, and lower fat‐free mass were also accompanied with higher adherence to LCD score. According to our study, low carbohydrate diet score was associated with more favorable cardio‐metabolic risk factors independent of some confounders like age, BMI, sex, and physical activity level. Further studies in different communities will help for generalization of our findings.