GF. Aloraini, NM. McKeown, GT. Rogers, SK. Das, AH. Lichtenstein and PF. Jacques (2025). Low-Carbohydrate Diet Patterns That Favor High-Quality Carbohydrates Are Associated with Beneficial Long-Term Changes in Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Current developments in nutrition, 9(7), 107479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107479

PubMed 40612047

[Abstract]
BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) patterns have been studied as a potential strategy to reduce chronic inflammation. Evidence remains equivocal, likely because of differences in the quality of carbohydrate sources among LCD patterns.

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively examine the associations between LCD patterns varying in carbohydrate quality, and changes of inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers.

METHODS: Among Framingham Offspring Study participants (n = 2225; median 6.7-y follow-up, mean baseline age: 60.1 y), we used food frequency questionnaires to create 2 LCD scores (LCDS) accounting for quality of carbohydrates sources. These reflected higher intake of total fat and protein, and lower intake of either low-quality carbohydrates [high-quality LCDS (HQ-LCDS)] or high-quality carbohydrates [low-quality LCDS (LQ-LCDS)]. We calculated an inflammation and oxidative stress score by summing the standardized values of 9 inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. Least-square mean change in the inflammation and oxidative stress score across quintile categories of LCDS was estimated using multivariable linear regression models, adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS: HQ-LCDS was inversely associated with change in the inflammation and oxidative stress score (mean ± SE in Q1: 0.24 ± 0.16, Q5: -0.27 ± 0.16; P trend = 0.004), indicating that inflammation and oxidative stress increased in those in the lowest HQ-LCDS category and decreased in those in the highest category. HQ-LCDS was also inversely associated with changes in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (P trend = 0.003) and lipoprotein phospholipase A2 activity (P trend = 0.003). No significant associations were observed for LQ-LCDS.

CONCLUSIONS: LCD patterns that preserved high-quality carbohydrates while replacing low-quality carbohydrates sources, such as refined grains and added sugars, with fat and protein were inversely associated with inflammation and oxidative stress score, potentially lowering chronic disease risk.