Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Palatable Western-style Cafeteria Diet as a Reliable Method for Modeling Diet-induced Obesity in Rodents
Published on: November 1, 2019
Balanced carbohydrate ratios are associated with improved diet quality in Australia: A nationally representative
Michelle Blumfield1, Andrew McConnell1, Tim Cassettari2
1Department of Science, Nutrition Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Background:
Carbohydrate quality influences major health outcomes; however, the best criteria to assess carbohydrate quality remain unknown.
Objective:
The objectives were to: i) evaluate whether a diet that meets a carbohydrate ratio (simple, modified or dual ratio) is associated with higher nutrient intakes and diet quality, and ii) model the impact of substituting carbohydrate foods that meet the proposed ratios in place of foods that do not, on nutrient intakes.
Design:
A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2011-12 Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.
Participants/Setting:
National data from participants aged 2 years and older (n = 12,153).
Main Outcome Measures:
Ratios were defined as (i) simple ratio, 10:1 (10g carbohydrate:≥1g dietary fiber); (ii) modified ratio, 10:1:2 (10g carbohydrate:≥1g dietary fiber:≤2g free sugars); and (iii) dual ratio, 10:1 & 1:2 (10g carbohydrate:≥1g dietary fiber & ≤2g free sugars per 1g dietary fiber). Ratios were compared to nutrient intakes obtained via automated multiple-pass 24-hour dietary recall and diet quality calculated using the Australian Healthy Eating Index.
Statistical Analyses Performed:
Substitution dietary modelling was performed. Data were analyzed using paired and independent sample t-tests.
Results:
Ratio adherence was highest for simple (50.2% adults; 28.6% children), followed by dual (40.6% adults; 21.7% children), then modified (32.7% adults; 18.6% children) ratios. Participants who met any ratio reported higher nutrient intake and diet quality compared to those who failed to meet the respective ratio (P < .001 for all), with the greatest nutrient intakes found for those who met modified or dual ratios. Dietary modelling improved nutrient intakes for all ratios, with the greatest improvement found for the dual ratio.
Conclusions:
All carbohydrate ratios were associated with higher diet quality, with a free sugars constraint in the dual ratio providing the greatest improvements.
More Related Videos
04:46'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake
Published on: September 18, 2018
03:35Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: December 1, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Carbohydrates: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in...
Bioavailability Study Design: Absolute Versus Relative Bioavailability
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...