Associations of high-carbohydrate and high-fat dietary patterns with obesity in Thai adults: A cross-sectional analysis with gender comparisons
Sakawrut Poosri, Natnicha Promyos, Kamparnart Kaewyai, Chattraya Ngamlerst, Siriarun Saesow, Narisara Sripo, Junsuda Taweechaisub, Thanate Tienthong & Pattaneeya Prangthip
“This study investigated the gender-specific associations of high-carbohydrate (>275 g/day) and high-fat (>65 g/day) dietary patterns with obesity among 380 Thai adults (83 men, 297 women) aged 18–59 in Bangkok, using Asian WHO standards to classify overweight and obesity. While within-gender prevalence of overweight/obesity was high in both groups (78.3% in men and 64.6% in women, with women accounting for 74.7% of total overweight/obese participants due to sample representation), dietary risk factors diverged significantly by gender. High-fat intake was associated with obesity across both sexes (OR = 3.42 for men; OR = 1.67 for women), whereas high-carbohydrate intake was significantly linked to obesity (OR = 2.43), elevated triglycerides (OR = 2.48), and increased BMI (OR = 2.49) exclusively in women, showing no significant association in men. These findings suggest that dietary guidelines should be tailored by gender particularly highlighting carbohydrate control for women at risk of central obesity though longitudinal studies are required to confirm these exploratory results.”




