Background: Uncertainty exists about the role of dietary carbohydrates in type 2 diabetes risk.
Objective: To evaluate the association between total dietary carbohydrate intake and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Method: A cohort of 8370 middle-aged Australian women with no history of diabetes at baseline was observed for 6 years. At baseline a validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess food intake over the previous year. The association between total dietary carbohydrate intake and type 2 diabetes risk were assessed using multiple logistic regression adjusting for demographics, lifestyle and other dietary factors.
Results: A total of 311 type 2 diabetes cases were identified during follow-up. Total dietary carbohydrate intake was not associated with risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The multivariable-adjusted estimates of relative risk comparing the highest vs the lowest quintiles of intake were 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.61- 1.55) P= 0.63.
Conclusion: This prospective study suggests that total carbohydrate intake is not significantly associated with a risk of type 2 diabetes in mid-age Australian women.