TOPLINE

Among women with overweight or obesity, those who followed a lower-carbohydrate diet were closer to a healthier target weight, along with reduced waist circumference, body fat, and visceral fat, than those eating more carbohydrates, according to a new cross-sectional study. No significant association emerged with the A Body Shape Index (ABSI), a newer mortality-linked anthropometric marker.

METHODOLOGY

• Low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) have been linked to weight loss and improved metabolic risk factors, but their associations with newer anthropometric measures such as ABSI and obesity degree have not been established.
• In 2018, researchers conducted a cross‑sectional study of 290 healthy, nonmenopausal women in Iran (age, 18-48 years; BMI, 25-40) who had no chronic disorders.
• Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 147-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire; LCD scores were subsequently calculated on the basis of dietary components, including refined grain carbohydrates, vegetable protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, n3/n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, fiber, and glycemic load.
• Participants were divided into four quartiles on the basis of LCD scores ranging from 0 (highest carbohydrate and lowest protein or fat intake) to 70 (lowest carbohydrate and highest protein or fat intake), with higher scores indicating greater adherence to an LCD pattern.
• Measurements of body composition, including fat mass, fat-free mass, waist circumference, visceral fat, and obesity degree, were obtained using bioelectrical impedance analysis, whereas anthropometric measurements and serum lipid profiles were assessed using standard protocols; ABSI was calculated from waist circumference, BMI, and height.

TAKEAWAY

• A higher LCD score was associated with a lower degree of obesity (beta = -4.66%; P = .041) after adjusting for age, energy intake, physical activity, economic status, and education status.
• Participants with higher LCD scores also had lower visceral fat levels (beta = -0.77 kg; P = .049), body fat percentage (beta = -1.043%; P = .020), and waist circumference (beta = -1.98 cm; P = .044).
• In a separate analysis comparing LCD quartiles, a higher LCD score was associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (P = .041) after controlling for potential confounders.
• No significant association was observed between the LCD score and ABSI, even after adjusting for potential confounders (P = .168).

IN PRACTICE

“Our study indicates that score to LCDs is associated with favorable changes in body composition and lipid profiles in overweight and obese nonmenopausal women,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Mehdi Karimi, of the Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. It was published online in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition.

LIMITATIONS

The study was cross-sectional, so causal relationships could not be established. Because all participants were female and the sample size was modest, the findings may not be generalizable to men or to postmenopausal women. The use of bioelectrical impedance analysis-derived visceral fat provided an indirect estimation of visceral adiposity.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.