BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Rising pre-diabetes in Korean adults is an emerging concern, with notable increases observed even among younger adults.The interest in high-protein diets is also increasing in Korea, while concerns about excess intake remain.This study examined the associations of protein intake, diet quality, and diabetes-related metabolic indicators in Korean adults.SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study analyzed 8,254 adults aged 19-64 yrs without diabetes from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2021, stratified by sex and pre-diabetic status.The protein intake was assessed using a 24-h recall, expressed as a percentage of the total energy intake, and divided into quintiles.The diet quality was examined using the Korean Healthy Eating Index.The diabetes-related metabolic indicators were waist circumference, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and triglyceride-glucose index.The associations were analyzed using complex sample general linear models and logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and total energy intake.RESULTS: The protein intake was positively associated with the diet quality, peaking at Q4, then declining.Pre-diabetic men showed a decreasing trend in the elevated triglyceride risk with higher protein intake (Q4: odds ratio OR, 0.697 0.489-0.995;P for trend = 0.041).In women, higher protein intake was significantly associated with an increased risk of low HDL-C in the non-diabetic group (Q5: OR,; P for trend = 0.020) and with the pre-diabetic group showing a lower risk of elevated blood pressure (Q5: OR, 0.657 0.458-0.944;P for trend = 0.012).CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that in Korean adults without diabetes, maintaining an appropriate, balanced protein intake rather than simply increasing consumption may help manage the metabolic alterations associated with diabetes.
Kim et al. (Thu,) studied this question.