Research
Macro partitioning
In Korean populations, high carbohydrate intake (50-80% of energy) is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, elevated triglycerides, and lower HDL cholesterol, but a reduced risk of elevated total and LDL cholesterol.
If you eat a traditional Korean high-carb diet, be aware that high carb intake correlates with higher triglycerides and lower HDL. However, it may keep LDL lower. Focus on improving the quality of your carbohydrates (whole grains) rather than just cutting them.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Within this range of carbohydrate intake, high carbohydrate intake was associated with an increased risk of elevated triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels but with a reduced risk of elevated total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels.
Why this rating
Based on multiple large-scale observational studies (KNHANES, KoGES).
Source
Low-Carbohydrate Diets in Korea: Why Does It Matter, and What Is Next?
Kyungho Ha et al. · Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome · 2021
DOI 10.7570/jomes21051
narrative_reviewCited 21×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Low-carbohydrate diets (<40% energy) are at least as effective as low-fat diets for short-term weight loss and improve triglyceride and HDL cholesterol profiles, but they increase total and LDL cholesterol levels.Good
- Moderate carbohydrate intake (50-60% of energy) is associated with the lowest all-cause mortality risk, forming a U-shaped relationship where both very low (<40%) and very high (>70%) intakes increase mortality risk.Good
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