Association Between Low-Carbohydrate Diet Scores and Incidence of Hypertension Among the Middle-Aged Japanese Population: The Toon Health Study

This study investigates the association between Low-Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) score and the incidence of hypertension in the Japanese population. This cohort study was conducted in an ongoing longitudinal study, the Toon Health Study. Hypertension was defined by measured blood pressure levels and self-reported treatment information, and dietary intake was measured through a validated food frequency questionnaire. Total, animal and plant-based LCD scores were calculated. Participants were divided into sex-specific tertiles of LCD scores. A multivariable-adjusted logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of incidence of hypertension. Total and plant-based LCD scores showed a borderline negative association with incidence of hypertension. The ORs (95% CI) for the highest versus lowest tertile of the total LCD score were 0.61(0.37–1.03, p for trend = 0.07) and 0.65(0.39–1.10, p for trend = 0.09) for the plant-based LCD score. Stratified analysis by drinking status showed significant negative association among alcohol drinkers, multivariable ORs (95% CI) for the highest versus lowest tertile of total LCD score was 0.38 (0.17–0.83, p for trend = 0.01) and for the plant-based LCD score was 0.39 (0.17–0.90, p for trend = 0.01). No significant association observed in non-drinkers. In conclusion, an increased LCD score was associated with the lower incidence of hypertension, especially in the drinking population.