Triglycerides In Men Research Articles

Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in a developing population.

Noncommunicable diseases are emerging in developing countries. However, few studies have been conducted in those countries to evaluate the role of physical activity in the development of cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated physical activity and its relationship to risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a large population (N = 799) of civil servants from Benin City, Nigeria. Physical activity levels were estimated by an interviewer-administered questionnaire, which determined the average hours per week over the past year spent in occupational and leisure activities. Time spent walking or biking to work was assessed as well. Other major measures included body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), blood pressures, plasma insulin level, lipid profiles, and diet. More of the physical activity was attributed to occupational than to leisure activities. Compared with women, men had a higher activity level. No significant trend was observed across age groups. Male senior staff (a marker of higher socioeconomic status) had a lower physical activity level than male junior staff. Physical activity, especially time walking or biking to work, was inversely correlated with weight, BMI, WHR, blood pressures, insulin, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in men, while such correlations were not consistent in women. In multivariate analysis in men, blood pressure and insulin were independently associated with BMI but not with walking, while an independent inverse association was seen between walking and BMI. Lack of physical activity was associated with adverse risk profiles for cardiovascular disease in this developing population.

Cholelithiasic disease and associated factors in a Spanish population.

In order to analyze the factors associated with cholelithiasic disease, 1268 participants of a population sample were studied. On univariate analysis, 11 of the 23 variables included showed a statistically significant association (P < 0.05). Five of these variables, including obesity, triglyceride level, intake of hypolipidemic drugs, and a diet rich in cholesterol and saturated fats in women, and physical exercise in men, remained significantly associated after controlling for age. On multivariate analysis among women, a positive association was found with age (P < 0.001), obesity, and the use of hypolipidemic agents (P < 0.05) and a negative one with a diet rich in cholesterol and saturated fats (P < 0.05). Among men, the same analysis revealed there was a positive association with age (P < 0.001) and triglycerides (P < 0.05) and a negative one with physical exercise (P < 0.05). In conclusion, obesity and the use of hypolipidemic agents in women and triglycerides in men, were positively associated with cholelithiasic disease, independent of age, while negative associations included the intake of cholesterol and saturated fats in women and physical exercise in men.

Association of fibrinogen with cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in the Framingham Offspring Population.

Fibrinogen has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Also, the role of elevated fibrinogen in thrombosis suggests that it may be on the causal pathway for certain risk factors to exert their effect. These associations remain incompletely characterized. Moreover, the optimal fibrinogen assay for risk stratification is uncertain. In 2632 subjects from cycle 5 of the Framingham Offspring Population, fibrinogen levels were determined with a newly developed immunoprecipitation test (American Biogenetic Sciences) and the functional Clauss method. With the immunoprecipitation method, there were significant linear trends across fibrinogen tertiles (P:<0.001) for age, body mass index, smoking, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in men and women. The Clauss method had significant results (P:<0.030), except for triglycerides in men. Fibrinogen levels were higher for those with compared with those without cardiovascular disease. After covariate adjustment, fibrinogen remained significantly higher in those with cardiovascular disease with the use of the immunoprecipitation test (P:=0.035 and P:=0.018 for men and women, respectively) but not with the Clauss method. Fibrinogen was associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Elevation of fibrinogen may provide a mechanism for risk factors to exert their effect. Also, fibrinogen levels were higher among subjects with cardiovascular disease compared with those without disease. The immunoprecipitation test showed a stronger association with cardiovascular disease than the Clauss method, suggesting that it may be a useful screening tool to identify individuals at increased thrombotic risk.

Physical activity for preventing and treating obesity-related dyslipoproteinemias.

The clinical trial data were reviewed on effects of physical activity on obesity-related dyslipoproteinemias (specifically low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), elevated triglycerides (TG), and high total and LDL-cholesterol (TC and LDL-C)) in adult men and women. Effort was made to identify all randomized clinical trials (RCT), with exercise intervention programs of at least 4 months' duration, which had lipoprotein outcomes. Those that had both an exercise only intervention and control groups or both a diet plus exercise and identical diet only intervention groups were reviewed. Tables were developed of baseline characteristics and weight and lipoprotein changes for aerobic exercise trials by body mass index: 1) < 25.0 kg x m(-2), 2) 25.0-29.9 kg x m(2), and 3) > or = 30.0 kg x m(-2)and for studies involving resistance exercise or increased energy expenditure from daily activities versus structured exercise programs. Very few RCT were found that specifically addressed the role of physical activity in preventing or treating obesity-related adverse lipoprotein levels. There was essentially no evidence found in lean or overweight men or women to support a specific role for exercise in improving undesirable lipoprotein levels; however, trial data strongly suggest that the addition of exercise to a hypocaloric, reduced-fat diet improves HDL-C and TG in men and women with generally desirable initial levels and reduces LDL-C in men and women with initially elevated LDL-C levels. The evidence is also reasonably strong that weight loss, including that achieved solely by exercise, improves HDL-C and TG in obese men, without reducing LDL-C, whereas it remains weak for women. There are also virtually no trial data to support a role for resistance exercise or an increase in daily living activities for improving obesity-related lipoproteins. Current evidence from RCT is too limited to determine whether physical activity can raise low HDL-C or lower high TG or LDL-C levels in overweight and obese individuals.

Interrelationships of spontaneous growth hormone axis activity, body fat, and serum lipids in healthy elderly women and men.

Aging is associated with decreased growth hormone (GH) secretion and plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels, increased total and abdominal fat, total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides, and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Similar changes in lipids and body composition occur in nonelderly GH-deficient adults and are reversed with GH administration. To examine whether GH/IGF-I axis function in the elderly is related to the lipid profile independently of body fat, we evaluated GH secretion, serum IGF-I and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels, adiposity via the body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and circulating lipids in 101 healthy subjects older than 65 years. Integrated nocturnal GH secretion (log IAUPGH) was inversely related (P < .005) to DEXA total and abdominal fat and MRI visceral fat in both genders. Log IAUPGH was inversely related to visceral fat in women (P < .005) and men (P < .0001), but was not significantly related to total fat in either gender. In women, log IAUPGH was related inversely to total and LDL cholesterol and positively to HDL cholesterol (P < .008). In men, log IAUPGH was inversely related to total cholesterol and triglycerides (P < .005). In women, HDL cholesterol was inversely related to the WHR (P < .005). In men, triglycerides were positively related (P < .001) to the WHR and DEXA abdominal and MRI visceral fat. Multivariate regression revealed log IAUPGH, but not DEXA total body fat, to be an independent determinant of total (P < .001 for women and P = .01 for men) and LDL (P < .007 and P = .05) cholesterol in both sexes and of HDL cholesterol (P < .005) and triglycerides (P < .03) in women. Log IAUPGH, but not DEXA abdominal fat, was related to total (P < .005 and P < .03) and LDL (P < .03 and P = .05) cholesterol in both genders and to HDL in women (P < .05). Log IAUPGH, but not MRI visceral fat, was related to total cholesterol (P < .03 and P = .05) in women and men. Age, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 were not significantly related to any body fat or lipid measures, except for a positive correlation of IGF-I with triglycerides in men. Thus, endogenous nocturnal GH secretion predicts total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol levels independently of total or abdominal fat, suggesting that it is an independent cardiometabolic risk factor in healthy elderly people.

Serum calcium and cardiovascular risk factors and diseases: the Tromsø study.

Total serum calcium levels were measured in 12 865 men and 14 293 women, between the ages of 25 and 97 years, in the Tromsø Study during 1994 and 1995. With the use of a sex-specific multiple linear regression model with age, calcium, body mass index, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and pulse as possible covariates, serum calcium was significantly (P<0.001) and positively associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol in both sexes. A similar but weaker association was observed between serum calcium and triglycerides in men (P<0.01). In all age groups, serum calcium levels were higher in men with a history of myocardial infarction than in those without, and the difference was significant (P<0.0001) in a linear regression analysis adjusted for age. When all the other variables were also included in a logistic regression model, serum calcium was a highly significant (P<0.0001) predictor of myocardial infarction in men, with an odds ratio of 1.2 per 0.1 mmol/L increase in serum calcium. In women, a nonsignificant trend was again seen. Because the free or ionized form of calcium is the physiologically important form and serum calcium was not corrected for serum albumin in our study, the results must be interpreted with caution. However, it appears likely that serum calcium is a predictor of cardiovascular disease in men.

African American-white differences in lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins, by educational attainment, among middle-aged adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Measures of socioeconomic status have been shown to be related positively to levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in white men and women and negatively in African American men. However, there is little information regarding the association between educational attainment and HDL fractions or apolipoproteins. The authors examined these associations in 9,407 white and 2,664 African American men and women aged 45-64 years who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study baseline survey, and they found racial differences. A positive association for HDL cholesterol, its fractions HDL2 and HDL3 cholesterol, and its associated apolipoprotein A-I was found in white men and white women, but a negative association was found in African American men, and there was no association in African American women. In whites, there was also an inverse association of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein B with educational attainment. With the exception of African American men, advanced education was associated with a more favorable cardiovascular lipid profile, which was strongest in white women. Racial differences in total cholesterol (women only), plasma triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B (women only), HDL cholesterol, HDL2 and HDL3 cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A-I were reduced at higher levels of educational attainment. Apart from triglycerides in men and HDL3 cholesterol in women, these African American-white lipid differences associated with educational attainment remained statistically significant after multivariable adjustment for lifestyle factors. Lipoprotein(a) showed no association with educational attainment. These findings confirm African American-white differences in lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins across levels of educational attainment that were not explained by conventional nondietary lifestyle variables. Understanding these differences associated with educational attainment will assist in identifying measures aimed at prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Changes in Lipid Levels among Inhabitants of a Small Fishing Village in Shimane Over a 4-year Period.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between age and changes in serum lipid levels during a period of 4 years in a Japanese fishing village.Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured in inhabitants (53 males and 130 females) of the Chibu Village on Oki Island, Shimane in 1988 and again in 1992. The subjects were divided into four age groups of respectively, 40-49 years (n=30), 50-59 years (n=35), 60-90 years (n=65), and 70 years or over (n=53).TC and TG levels did not change in any age group over the 4-year interval. However, the HDL-C level increased significantly in men aged 40-49 years, women aged 50-59 years, and women aged 60-69 years.There are no differences of TC in men and women in 1988 and 1992. TG in men aged over 70 years was significantly lower than that in women aged over 70 years in 1988, but TG in men aged 40-49 years was significantly higher than that in women aged 40-49 years in 1992.HDL-C in men aged 40-49 years in 1988 and 50-59 years in 1992 was significantly lower than that in women aged 40-49 years in 1988 and 50-59 years in 1992.The body mass index (BMI) was significantly positively correlated with TC in 1988, and positively correlated with TG and negatively correlated with HDL-C in both 1988 and 1992.In this small Japanese fishing village, we found TC and TG did not increase with age, but HDL-C increased with age. Our results suggest that high TG and low HDL-C are important factors in causing obesity.

The apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Greenland Inuit in its global perspective.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotypes were determined in Inuit population samples from Nuuk on the south-west coast of Greenland (n = 100) and from the Ammassalik region on the south-east coast (n = 78). The epsilon 2 allele was absent in the latter sample, and the epsilon 4 allele frequency was relatively high, about 23%. As in most other populations, mean plasma lipoprotein-related variables, except high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, were higher in both Inuit men and women with epsilon 4 than in epsilon 3 epsilon 3 genotypes (P < 0.05 for triglycerides in men, and for non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B in women). The estimated apoE allele frequencies were combined with data from other studies of aboriginal peoples to outline a world map of apoE allele frequencies. A recent study of non-human primates suggests that epsilon 4, and not epsilon 3, is the ancestral allele in humans and we have used the map to generate additional hypotheses regarding the history of the apoE polymorphism in humans.

A prospective study of sex hormone-binding globulin and fatal cardiovascular disease in Rancho Bernardo men and women.

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) has been shown to be associated with several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. We examined the prospective association between SHBG and the risk of CVD and ischemic heart disease (IHD) death in 760 men and 624 women, aged 50-82 yr, who were free of heart disease at baseline. Health status and cause of death were determined annually for 99.9% of the cohort for 19 yr. SHBG correlated negatively with body mass index in both sexes and increased with age in men. After adjusting for age and body mass index, SHBG correlated negatively with fasting plasma glucose in men and women and with total cholesterol and triglycerides in men. There were 235 CVD and 134 IHD deaths in men and 153 CVD and 80 IHD deaths in women over the 19-yr follow-up. The quintile of baseline SHBG was unrelated to CVD or IHD mortality rate. No association was found in sex-specific, multiply-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. All risk ratios were close to 1, and 95% confidence intervals were narrow and included 1. Although associated with several strong heart disease risk factors, the SHBG level does not predict CVD or IHD mortality in men or women.

Screening for naturally occurring apolipoprotein A-I variants: apo A-I(?K107) is associated with low HDL-cholesterol levels in men but not in women

Isoelectric focussing (IEF) in carrier ampholyte-generated pH gradients and hybrid isoelectric focussing (HIEF) in immobilized pH gradients under nondenaturing conditions were used in parallel to screen 5,500 plasma samples for naturally occurring variants of apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I). The following defects were identified in four unrelated subjects heterozygous for apo A-I variants: apo A-I(delta K107)(2 x), apo A-I(K107M)(1 x), and apo A-I(E41R)(1 x). The later variant is a novel finding. Family studies did not reveal any association of apo A-I(K107M) and apo A-I(E41R) with dyslipidemia, but identified several heterozygotes for apo A-I(delta K107) who had low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. Therefore, and since the apo A-I(delta K107) is the most frequent apo A-I variant in Germany (1: 5,000) we evaluated our data and that reported from 11 families with 32 heterozygous carriers and 30 unaffected controls. This analysis revealed that apo A-I(delta K107) is associated with lower HDL-cholesterol (-30%) and higher triglycerides (+48%) in men but not in women as compared with unaffected family members as well as with controls from the Prospective Cardiovascular Münster (PROCAM) study. Moreover, 11 of 15 male apo A-I(delta K107) heterozygotes but only 2 of 17 female apo A-I(delta K107) heterozygotes had HDL-cholesterol levels below the 20th percentile of sex-matched controls from the PROCAM study. We conclude that heterozygosity for apo A-I(delta K107) decreases HDL-cholesterol and increases triglycerides in men but not in women.

Short Term Effects of Exercise on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins in Humans

Lipids and lipoproteins play a major role in the cascade of events leading up to the manifestations of atherosclerosis as it relates to coronary heart disease (CHD). Exercise-induced changes in the blood lipid profile appear to be therapeutic, an observation favouring the integration of exercise in CHD prevention and treatment programmes. The specific stimuli needed to produce such therapeutic effects are yet to be elucidated; both the repeated, transitory effects of single, isolated exercise sessions and exercise training effects are likely to be involved. The focus of this article is on the acute or short term changes of a single session of exercise on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. The short term, exercise-induced changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins are reviewed in the context of the role various lipid classifications play in coronary artery disease, the many potentially confounding variables that are ever-present, and the relative effects of gender, exercise modality, and exercise intensity. It is concluded that a single bout of exercise has the potential to induce short term, transient increases in the high density lipoproteins HDL and HDL2 and decreases in triglycerides in men. For women, more research is needed to determine clearly the exercise induced short term changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins. It appears that duration and intensity of exercise are directly related to the degree of changes observed: bouts of prolonged, intense exercise of sufficient energy expenditure appear to induce decreases in triglycerides and increases in HDL, primarily through HDL2, of greater magnitude and duration. Exercise induced changes in the plasma lipid profile appear to have returned to pre-exercise levels by 48 hours postexercise. Recognising that the underlying physiological mechanisms for changes in lipids and lipoproteins remain inconclusive, the roles of the lipid-regulatory enzymes lipoprotein lipase, lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase, and hepatic triglyceride lipase are discussed. It is clear that well controlled studies are needed to examine the effects of exercise on short term changes in the blood lipid profile in women.

Lipoprotein alterations in children with bacterial meningitis

Abnormalities in serum lipids, including hypertriglyceridemia, are common during infectious disorders. However, the lipoprotein pattern during infections, particularly in children, has been investigated to only a limited extent. We have monitored alterations in serum lipoproteins in eight children with a severe bacterial infection (meningitis) by a quantitating method measuring cholesterol and triglycerides in each major class. The levels of triglycerides in serum and in low-density lipoproteins were markedly elevated during the infection, whereas the amount of cholesterol in high-density lipoproteins was decreased. The cholesterol to triglyceride ratio was decreased in low-, as well as in high-density lipoproteins. These lipoprotein abnormalities may, at least in part, be explained by a depressed lipolytic activity of lipoprotein lipase, the key enzyme for removal of triglycerides in man. Serum triglycerides and the levels of cholesterol in high-density lipoproteins, as well as the ratio between these parameters, may be used as indicators of inflammatory activity.

Musculoskeletal strength and serum lipid levels in men and women

There currently is inconsistent information regarding the role that musculoskeletal strength (one component of musculoskeletal fitness) may have in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, and consequently the risk of cardiovascular disease. Results of existing studies have been conflicting and have been influenced by several weaknesses. We provide cross-sectional analyses of the relation between muscular strength and serum lipid and lipoprotein status in a group of 1,193 women and 5,460 men. The large proportion of patients were not involved in formal weight training. As part of a preventive medical examination, patients were tested for maximal upper and lower body strength (one repetition maximum (1RM) bench and leg press). Fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), triglyceride (TG), and high density lipoprotein (HDLC) were evaluated for their relation to muscle strength, after adjusting for simultaneous associations with age, body composition, and cardiovascular fitness. Results showed no association between muscular strength and serum TC or LDLC for either men or women and a direct association between upper and lower body strength and TG in men. The direct association between strength and TG in women was not significant. A statistically significant inverse association was seen between muscular strength and HDLC in men only. These data suggest no beneficial effect, and perhaps an adverse association of muscular strength on lipid and lipoprotein status.

The Association of Different Measures of Insulinaemia with Vascular Risk Factors in Healthy Normoglycaemic Normotensive Non-obese Men and Women

Hyperinsulinaemia is said to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the extent to which different insulinaemic measures are associated with vascular risk factors in ostensibly healthy individuals, and whether they operate independently in men and women, remains uncertain. The association between risk factors and various insulinaemic measures was examined in 148 men and 118 women who were normoglycaemic, normotensive, and non-obese (body mass index in men less than 27, in women less than 25). A 75 g glucose tolerance test was administered after blood sampling for fibrinogen, lipids, lipoproteins and insulin. Insulin was also measured after 1 and 2 hours. Significant univariate correlations (p less than 0.01) were most consistently recorded between insulinaemic measures and fasting serum triglycerides in men and women, whilst systolic blood pressure only correlated with insulinaemia in women, and diastolic blood pressure correlated with fasting and 2 hour insulinaemic measures in men and women. Inconsistent associations were noted with total serum cholesterol in men and women, with high density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, apoprotein B and A1 in men, and with fibrinogen in women. Age was not correlated with any insulinaemic measure in men or women. Differences in vascular risk factors between quintiles of the insulinaemic measures were examined, after correction for body mass index. The dominant association with fasting and post-glucose load insulinaemic measures was with triglycerides, especially in women, with less frequent graded differences between quintiles observed for total cholesterol, and diastolic and systolic blood pressures in men and women. The incidence of other risk factors often only differed in the lowest or highest quintile in comparison to other quintiles, suggesting a threshold rather than a graded effect. Furthermore, differences in HDL cholesterol and apoprotein B were only recorded for top quintiles of post-glucose challenge/integrated insulinaemic measures in men, whilst serum fibrinogen concentrations only differed significantly in women in the top insulinaemic area under the curve quintile. In the absence of additional risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, insulinaemic measures are not consistently related to blood pressure and measures of lipid metabolism and coagulation, and are thus a weak predictor of other cardiovascular risk factors. The vascular risk profile associated with insulin appears somewhat different in apparently healthy men and women.

Prevalence of gallstones in patients with primary immunoglobulin deficiency

In the early 1970s an increased prevalence of gallstones was reported in adults and children with immunoglobulin deficiency. As the advent of ultrasonography has largely changed the diagnostic approach to gallstones, we have reevaluated the prevalence of cholelithiasis in a group including 37 patients with common variable immunodeficiency and seven patients with other forms of primary immunodeficiency. All patients were receiving intravenous gammaglobulin replacement since 1983 or, in more recent cases, soon after the diagnosis was made, and therefore had relatively few infections. All patients underwent a hepatobiliary ultrasonogram and blood sampling. Data were compared, after age and sex standardization, with those obtained by the GREPCO in a free-living population of 1239 men and 1081 women. Only two women with immunoglobulin deficiency had gallstones. One of these was obese and had had one pregnancy. Both were asymptomatic. None of the patients studied had a history of cholecystectomy or evidence of biliary sludge. Thus, the observed prevalence rates of gallstone disease were 8.7% in women and 0% in males, respectively, against expected values of 9.5% and 3.2%. Immunodeficient patients expressed several putative risk factors for gallstones in the low range (body mass index, total and HDL cholesterol, and blood glucose in both sexes, and triglycerides in men). We conclude that gallstone disease is not more frequent in patients with immunodeficiency syndromes undergoing immunoglobulin therapy than in the general population.

Thermic effect of medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides in man

The thermic effects of 400 kcal meals of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and long-chain triglycerides (LCT) were compared in seven healthy men. Metabolic rate was measured before the meals and for 6 h after the meals by indirect calorimetry. Mean postprandial oxygen consumption was 12% higher than basal oxygen consumption after the MCT meal but was only 4% higher than the basal oxygen consumption after the LCT meal. There was a 25-fold increase in plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration and a slight increase in serum insulin concentrations after MCT ingestion but not after LCT ingestion. Plasma triglyceride concentrations increased 68% after the LCT meal and did not change after the MCT meal. These data raise the possibility that long-term substitution of MCT for LCT would produce weight loss if energy intake remained constant.

Demographic, behavioral, biochemical, and dietary correlates of plasma triglycerides. Lipid Research Clinics Program Prevalence Study.

Few studies have simultaneously examined the relationship of triglyceride levels with a wide variety of potential covariates. Thus, the present study was designed to assess in a large, free-living population the association of fasting plasma triglyceride values with selected demographic, behavioral, biochemical, and dietary measures. These analyses were done using data obtained from 5189 white men and women aged 20 to 69 years who participated in the Lipid Research Clinics Program Prevalence Study. Of the eight nondietary factors examined, age, Quetelet Index, fasting plasma glucose, and cigarette smoking were strongly, positively associated (p less than 0.0001) with triglycerides in men and in women not using gonadal hormones. Among women using oral contraceptives or estrogens, only Quetelet Index (p less than 0.01) and cigarette smoking (p = 0.01) were significantly related to triglyceride values. Physical activity was inversely associated (p less than 0.0001) and use of diuretic medications was positively related (p less than 0.01) to triglycerides only in men. Results of analyses of triglycerides and six selected dietary measures varied by age, sex, and hormone-use subgroups. Although none of the dietary variables showed consistent associations with triglycerides across all of the subgroups, triglycerides tended to be inversely associated with total calories per kilogram of body weight and the percentage of calories as dietary fat.

Lipids and lipoproteins in a young adult population. The Beaver County Lipid Study.

Though atherosclerosis may have its origins in childhood, intervention studies on coronary heart disease risk factors have usually begun in older adults. Whether young adults exhibit similar relationships of lifestyle to coronary heart disease risk factors, and therefore might be suitable candidates for appropriate intervention, is poorly understood. The Beaver County Lipid Study is a 9-year follow-up study of a free-living young adult population (mean age 22 years) who were initially screened for hypercholesterolemia as seventh grade school children. This report focuses upon cross-sectional correlates of lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in 561 individuals (males n = 262; females n = 299) in 1981-1982. Body mass index was positively related to low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides in men (r = 0.21; p less than 0.001 and r = 0.41; p less than 0.001) and women (r = 0.16; p less than 0.001 and r = 0.20; p less than 0.001). Cigarette smoking was inversely associated with high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in men (r = -0.11; p less than 0.001) and women (r = -0.20; p less than 0.001) but positively related to triglycerides in both sexes (r = 0.10; p = 0.05 for men and r = 0.19; p less than 0.01 for women). Alcohol consumption was positively related to HDL cholesterol and triglycerides only among men (r = 0.19; p less than 0.001 and r = 0.12; p less than 0.05, respectively). Educational achievement was also positively related to HDL cholesterol in men (p less than 0.01) and women (p less than 0.001). Multivariate analyses indicate that the sex difference in LDL cholesterol was largely eliminated by controlling for body mass index while significant sex differences in both HDL cholesterol and triglycerides remained after controlling for covariates. Results suggest that the known associations in older adults of body mass index and health-related behavior with lipoproteins are well established by young adulthood. Early intervention particularly for obesity may help ameliorate some of the male excess in cardiovascular disease risk.

Epidemiological Study on Factor VII, Factor VIII and Fibrinogen in an Industrial Population - II. Baseline Data on the Relation to Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, Uric Acid, and Lipid Fractions

In a preceding paper the baseline data in the Münster Arteriosclerosis Study (PROCAM study) of the levels of fibrinogen, factor VIIc and factor VIIIc were described, and their correlation of age, body weight, smoking, alcohol, pill-using and menopause discussed. In this part the relationship of these coagulation factors to blood pressure, blood glucose, uric acid and lipid parameters, which were examined in 4186 apparently healthy individuals, is presented. The correlations are described using two different statistical models, first the Pearson correlation coefficients after allowing each clotting factor for the effects of age, cigarette and alcohol consumption, body weight, menopausal state, pill using and the other clotting factors, and secondly by a multiple regression analysis. The data suggest that there are multiple interrelationships between hemostatic factors and the variables under consideration. The most striking positive correlations were found for factor VIIc to blood glucose and triglycerides in men and women and to HDL-cholesterol in women.