Carbohydrates consist of a large proportion of calories in the Asian diet. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between carbohydrate intake and metabolic syndrome in Korean women. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with a total of 4294 Korean women aged 40-69 years from the Korean Genomic and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). Carbohydrate intake was calculated based on a validated food frequency questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was defined by using the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEPIII). Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of carbohydrate intake with metabolic syndrome and its components. In this study, high carbohydrate intake seemed to be associated with low socioeconomic status and an imbalanced diet. After adjusting for confounding factors, subjects with higher carbohydrate intake showed an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (odds ratio (OR) 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.66, p-trend = 0.004, highest vs. lowest quartile [≥75.2 vs. <67.0% of energy]), particularly elevated waist circumference. This association was stronger among those with low levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and those with low dairy intake. In conclusion, higher carbohydrate intake is associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, particularly abdominal obesity, in Korean women. This association may differ according to individuals' CRP level and dairy intake.
Keywords: C-reactive protein; carbohydrate; dairy; metabolic syndrome; obesity; women.