Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in a sample of healthy workers

METHODS. Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are analyzed in a sample of 797 male workers in southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. At the univariate level high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations are positively related to alcohol consumption (r = 0.127; P less than or equal to 0.001) and sport activity (r = 0.074; P less than or equal to 0.05) and inversely related to body mass index (r = -0.160; P less than or equal to 0.001), serum triglycerides (r = -0.349; P less than or equal to 0.001), cigarette smoking (r = -0.227; P less than or equal to 0.001), and coffee consumption (r = -0.153; P less than or equal to 0.001). RESULTS. In the group as a whole, body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and serum triglycerides remain significantly related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the multivariate model, while the association with coffee intake and sport activity loses statistical significance. A significant negative interaction is reported between physical activity and cigarette smoking, and a positive significant linear trend between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sport activity is observed only in nonsmokers. CONCLUSION. These findings suggest that body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, serum triglycerides, and sport activity are important correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol but that the positive significant association between sport activity and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is absent in smokers.     

Sex differences in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and subfractions among young black adults

The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein subfraction (HDL2 and HDL3) concentrations were examined in 170 young black adults. The women examined had significantly higher total high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations than the men, i.e., 57.0 mg/dl vs 51.2 mg/dl, P less than 0.002. The increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol among women represented a significant increase in both HDL2 and HDL3 cholesterol concentrations. The sex differential could not be explained by body mass index, alcohol consumption, or physical activity. The determinants of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for men appeared to be different than those for women.     

Lack of an association between coffee consumption and lipoprotein lipids and apolipoproteins in young adults: The beaver county study

The relationship between coffee consumption and lipoprotein lipids and apolipoproteins was examined in 472 white men and women (20-24 years of age) in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, during 1981-1982. Coffee intake, expressed as nondrinker, one to two cups per day, and three or more cups per day, was unrelated to total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or apoproteins AI, AII, or B. After covariate adjustment for cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, and adherence to a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, the results remained essentially unchanged. The only statistically significant finding was that women who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had significantly lower triglyceride concentrations compared with coffee nondrinkers (P less than 0.05). Thus, these findings fail to substantiate a significant association of low to moderate coffee intake with an increased lipid and apoprotein risk profile in these young adults.     

The relationship between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol under consideration of smoking history

A large German population sample of 6820 men and 7258 women was used to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption, total serum cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.Analyses were conducted on men and women separately. Differences in age, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, smoking habits, alcohol, fish, milk and tea consumption, physical activity and medication use were controlled for in the analyses. Interactions between coffee consumption and smoking habits in their relationship with serum cholesterol were part of the analyses. For men, a positive relationship between coffee consumption and total serum cholesterol was found among smokers and life-long abstainers but not in the group of ex-smokers. In women a relationship between coffee consumption and total serum cholesterol was also present, but very weak (only statistical significant in covariance analyses). Levels of HDL cholesterol did not correlate with coffee consumption in either men and women.Hypotheses concerning the peculiarities of the group of ex-smokers are developed, and supporting empirical evidence is given. It is suggested that the group of ex-smokers should always be analysed separately.     

Relationship between lifestyle and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in middle-aged Japanese men

Cross-sectional associations between lifestyle factors [cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, overall obesity indicated by body mass index (BMI), eating breakfast, snacking between meals, considering nutritional balance, coffee drinking, physical exercise, and hours of work and sleep] and serum lipid and lipoprotein levels were examined in 1580 middle-aged Japanese men in Osaka, Japan. From stepwise regression analyses, significant correlates with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and Log triglyceride levels were, in the order of relative importance: BMI, alcohol intake (negative), and age for LDL cholesterol level; BMI (negative), cigarette smoking (negative), alcohol intake, considering nutritional balance, and physical exercise for HDL cholesterol level; and BMI, cigarette smoking, working hours (negative), considering nutritional balance (negative), alcohol intake, and coffee drinking (negative) for Log triglyceride level. The cumulative percentages of variation for LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Log triglyceride levels were 4.2%, 15.4% and 14.7%, respectively. From stepwise regression analyses, excluding BMI as a factor in the model, snacking between meals emerged as a significant factor for LDL cholesterol level and HDL cholesterol level (negative). The cumulative percentage of variation for each serum lipid and lipoprotein level was decreased (1.5% for LDL cholesterol, 6.8% for HDL cholesterol, and 3.1% for Log triglyceride). These results suggest that BMI has the strongest association with serum lipid and lipoprotein levels and that good daily lifestyles may have an anti-atherogenic effect by altering serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in middle-aged Japanese men.     

An evaluation of efficacy of cigarette smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol

Correlation of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption habit was investigated in 562 male office workers aged 31 to 60 yr. HDL-C concentrations were found to be positively associated with alcohol consumption in subjects with relative weight below 10%, but a positive association was not observed in obese subjects having relative weight of 10% or above. In contrast, HDL-C levels were significantly lower in smokers than in non-smokers regardless of obesity. The effectiveness of smoking cessation in preventing low levels of serum HDL-C was estimated by comparing prevalence rates of HDL-C levels lower than an arbitrarily determined HDL-C cutoff value in smokers with those in non-smokers. The estimation was made with unadjusted subjects and also with subjects adjusted for age, relative weight and alcohol consumption. The effectiveness was found to be considerably high in heavy smokers having lower HDL-C levels (less than or equal to 35 mg/dl) with or without hypercholesterolemia (greater than or equal to 220 mg/dl) and further remarkably high in all smokers having hypertriglyceridemia (greater than or equal to 300 mg/dl) besides lower HDL-C levels. It is therefore expected that health education focused on stopping smoking can produce favorable alterations in HDL-C for preventing coronary heart disease, especially in heavy smokers having low serum HDL-C levels concomitant with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.     

Association between baseline risk factors, cigarette smoking, and CHD mortality after 10.5 years. MRFIT Research Group.

METHODS. The association between baseline risk factors and death from coronary heart disease (CHD) after 10.5 years was investigated for cigarette smokers and nonsmokers who entered the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). RESULTS. Rates per thousand person-years of CHD mortality were higher for smokers than for nonsmokers at every level of baseline risk factors examined. There were significant associations between CHD mortality and plasma low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for smokers and nonsmokers. The inverse association between CHD mortality and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly stronger among nonsmokers compared with that among smokers and was attributable to a very strong association for former smokers. An inverse relationship between CHD and body mass index was evident for smokers and nonsmokers. Rates of CHD death rose sharply when levels of fasting glucose exceeded 140 mg/dl, and there was a significant association between CHD mortality and blood sugar levels for nonsmokers but not for smokers. For both smokers and nonsmokers, an inverse univariate association between alcohol consumption and CHD mortality was evident. This association, however, did not persist after adjustment for plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSION. Intervention on blood pressure and blood lipids is particularly important among cigarette smokers because of their increased risk of CHD death. The different associations between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting serum glucose, and CHD mortality for smokers and nonsmokers requires further investigation.     

Relationship between total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the effects of physical exercise, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and body mass index

Despite the fact that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) is a part of total cholesterol (TC), the serum level of this portion has been reported to have no or only a weak relationship to the TC level. The present study assessed the relationship between HDLC and TC considering alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and body mass index (BMI) in 366 male workers classified into three groups by the habitual physical exercise. The results showed the different effects of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and BMI on the level of HDLC among these three groups, and alcohol consumption lowered the LDLC level only in the exercise group. The closest relationship between HDLC and TC was seen in the exercise group, even after taking other factors into account. The result suggests that the HDLC level must be evaluated relative to the level of TC. As an indicator of serum lipid patterns the validity of the ratio of HDLC to TC (HDLC/TC) was discussed.     

Coffee and cholesterol, an Italian study

In the present study, conducted in northern Italy between 1986 and 1989, the authors investigated the possible association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels in 8,983 subjects, 7,432 men and 1,551 women, managers and employees aged 18-65 years, who were examined during a program of preventive medicine upon an agreement between various companies and the Centro Diagnostico Italiano. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the serum cholesterol levels of the subjects subdivided according to coffee consumption, along with age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and physical activity. An important relation was demonstrated between coffee intake and cholesterol, particularly in the men, the differences in serum cholesterol in the coffee users compared with the nonusers being 6.1 +/- 1.4 (standard error) mg/dl for consumers of 1-3 cups/day (3.4 +/- 1.4 mg/dl after adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol and cigarette consumption, and physical activity), 9.9 +/- 1.6 mg/dl for those drinking 4-5 cups/day (5.8 +/- 1.6 mg/dl after adjustment), and 14.8 +/- 2.0 mg/dl for those drinking over 5 cups/day (9.6 +/- 2.0 mg/dl after adjustment). This relation remained substantially unvaried when nonsmokers and smokers were analyzed separately. It has been suggested that it is coffee prepared by boiling rather than other methods that has a hypercholesterolemic effect. Our observations demonstrate an interesting relation between coffee and cholesterol, even though the coffee drunk in Italy is mainly filtered and nonboiled. However, our finding is not necessarily in disagreement with the above hypothesis since, when coffee is prepared in the Italian way (with the mocha method), ground coffee is preheated by steam and more importantly, the water passes through the ground coffee at a higher temperature than with the other brewing methods.     

Effect of cigarette smoking and coffee consumption on apolipoprotein B levels

Apolipoprotein B levels were studied in relation to cigarette smoking, coffee and alcohol consumption, physical activity, age and body mass index in 253 men aged 21–61 years. The mean apolipoprotein B level was 7.3 ± 3.2 mg/dl and was higher for smokers compared with non-smokers. Considering the smokers of over 20 cigarettes/day and the non-smokers, this difference reached 12.6 ± 4.3 mg/dl. A significant increase of 7.2 ± 3.5 mg/dl in apolipoprotein B levels was observed in the subjects who drank over 3 cups of coffee/day compared with the remaining subjects, but the increase was only 4.3 ± 3.7 mg/dl when we made a correction for cigarette consumption. Furthermore, for cigarette smoking and coffee consumption, there is apparently an interactive effect with BMI and/or age (vs apolipoprotein B levels). However, with a stepwise selection among explicative variables [age, BMI, smoking (yes/no) and coffee consumption ( 3, > 3 cups/day)] and all their interactions of first order, only the interaction between BMI and smoking (BMI^*smoking: b± ES (b) = 0.3029±0.0303), and age and BMI (age^*BMI), are significantly and positively related to serum levels of apolipoprotein B. Thus cigarette smoking, interacting with high BMI, appear related to higher apolipoprotein B levels.Corresponding author.     

Distributions and determinants of total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in Dutch children and young adults

Serum total cholesterol and its putative determinants were measured in 5,089 subjects, ages 5-30 years, comprising 76% of the total population of two districts of the Dutch town of Zoetermeer. From this group, 596 subjects, ages 5-19 years, were randomly selected, and distributions and determinants of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were studied in 458 of them. The variables studied included body weight; Quetelet index; menarche; parental cholesterol; physical activity; consumption of coffee, alcohol, and tobacco; and use of oral contraceptives. Mean total cholesterol levels showed a decrease in both boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 16 years. Mean HDL cholesterol levels remained the same until the age of 17, after which they showed an increase for females and a decrease for males. Total cholesterol was associated with age, body weight (in those older than 15 years), and parental cholesterol concentrations. For HDL cholesterol, the most important determinants were gender, age, and body weight (the latter only for males 15 years and older). These findings suggest that during growth and maturation the determinants of serum cholesterol differ from those later on in life.     

High density lipoprotein cholesterol increases with living altitude

BACKGROUND: The relationship between high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) serum level and the altitude at which people live is controversial. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the adult population (30-64 years) of the Island of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain). In all, 594 individuals representative of the El Hierro population for gender, age, district and the altitude at which they lived were included. The factors measured included HDL, living altitude, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, alcohol consumption, diabetes, menopause in women, and physical activity and dietary habits. RESULTS: The HDL showed a correlation with living altitude (r = 0.14, P < 0.01) and with BMI (r = -0.19, P < 0.01). Smokers had lower HDL levels than ex-smokers and non-smokers (P < 0.05). Men who were moderate drinkers had higher HDL levels than heavy or mild drinkers and non-drinkers (P < 0.01). Physical activity was only related to HDL in men with levels >1.52 mmol/l, who walked on the average more than the rest (P < 0.05). Variables not showing the expected relationship with HDL were diabetes and the menopause in women (probably due to a low statistical power of their subsamples). Regression analysis, with HDL as dependent variable showed that the association between HDL and altitude persists when taking altitude as a categorical or a continuous variable. CONCLUSIONS: High density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are linearly and significantly increased when living at a higher altitude. This fact should be taken into account when comparing cardiovascular risk in populations living at different altitudes.     

Association of serum lipoproteins and health-related habits with coffee and tea consumption in free-living subjects examined in the Israeli CORDIS Study.

BACKGROUND. A positive association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels has been demonstrated and recent results indicate that this may be due to a lipid-rich fraction present mainly in boiled coffee. The possible effects of tea consumption are less clear, although evidence has been presented which suggests that tea drinkers have lower cholesterol levels. The associations between serum lipids and lipoproteins and coffee and tea consumption were examined in the Israel CORDIS study. METHODS. Employees of 21 factories were screened for cardiovascular disease risk factors between 1985 and 1987. Detailed data on coffee and tea consumption and serum lipids and lipoproteins were available for 3,858 men and 1,511 women. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS. Consumption of five or more cups of coffee per day was reported by 10.1% of men and 8.7% of women, whereas only 3.4% of men and 2.2% of women consumed similar quantities of tea. After controlling for a number of potential confounders, coffee consumption (particularly "mud" coffee) was strongly and positively associated with higher serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in both sexes (consumers of five or more cups per day had cholesterol levels up to 18 mg/dl higher than abstainers) and with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in women. There was a nonsignificant negative association between tea consumption and serum cholesterol (cholesterol levels about 5 mg/dl more in abstainers than in those consuming five or more cups per day). In general, more negative health-related habits were reported with increased coffee consumption, whereas this relationship was not found for tea drinking. The relatively small percentage of heavy tea drinkers limits the conclusions that one can draw from this study and controlled trials are needed to evaluate possible lipid-lowering effects of tea consumption.     

Effects of smoking and stopping smoking on serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in a representative population sample

Serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were assessed in a random sample of 939 men and 853 women ages 14-65 years in eastern Finland. Amount of daily smoking measured by serum thiocyanate concentration was negatively and independently associated with serum HDL cholesterol level and HDL/total cholesterol ratio in men. This negative association seemed largely to be due to low HDL cholesterol levels in heavy smokers. Both male and female current smokers had lower HDL cholesterol levels and HDL/total cholesterol ratios than those who had never smoked. This difference was found even after adjustment for age, body mass index, and beer drinking. The reduction of HDL cholesterol level seemed to be reversible, because those who had recently stopped smoking had higher HDL cholesterol levels and higher HDL/total cholesterol ratios than current smokers.     

Coffee consumption, diet, and lipids

Recent reports suggest that coffee consumption is associated with increased serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. The authors examined the association between serum lipids and coffee consumption and other caffeinated beverages as part of a population-based study of 1,228 women and 923 men, aged 25-64 years, in San Antonio, Texas, studied between October 1979 and November 1982. The study confirmed a positive relationship between coffee consumption and both total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in both sexes which persisted after adjustment for age, ethnicity, obesity, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. Neither tea nor cola consumption was associated with changes in serum lipids, suggesting that caffeine alone does not exert a direct effect on lipid levels. The possibility was examined that the coffee-cholesterol relationship might be due to a more atherogenic diet consumed by heavy coffee drinkers. In men, per cent calories from both total and saturated fat and dietary cholesterol intake increased with increased coffee consumption. Similar trends were not observed in women, however. The positive relationship between coffee and cholesterol may therefore be due to confounding effects of other aspects of the diet.     

Total but not high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is consistently associated with coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in Finland, Italy, and The Netherlands

We studied the relation between serum total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and 10-year coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in different European countries. The Finland, Italy and the Netherlands Elderly (FINE) Study is a prospective follow-up study in 2,132 elderly men ages 65-84 years in Finland, the Netherlands, and Italy. We estimated relative risks using Cox proportional hazard analysis with time-dependent covariates. Total cholesterol was positively related to coronary heart disease mortality in all three countries. The combined relative risk for the total population of the FINE Study was 1.17 (95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.29) for each 1.00 mmol/liter increase in total cholesterol. HDL cholesterol was inversely related to coronary heart disease mortality in Finland, but not in the Netherlands and Italy. In Italy we noted an interaction among HDL cholesterol, body mass index, and alcohol intake, with an inverse association for HDL cholesterol in lean men who drank <40 gm of alcohol daily and a positive association for HDL cholesterol among overweight men who drank > or =40 gm of alcohol per day. Serum total cholesterol remains an important predictor of coronary heart disease mortality in elderly men in different European countries. The effect of HDL cholesterol differed among the three countries.     

Consumption of boiled coffee is correlated with serum cholesterol in Finland

The association between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol concentration was studied in a cross-sectional epidemiological study among 5704 men and women in Finland. The mean serum cholesterol values of those consuming boiled coffee (24% of the subjects) was significantly higher than that of drinkers of filtered coffee (69% of the subjects) in both sexes after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, serum gamma-glutamyltransferase, index of saturated fat intake, and physical activity: in men 6.37 versus 6.02 mmol/l, in women 6.22 versus 5.84 mmol/l, both significant at p less than 0.001. A significant dose-dependent effect was observed between the consumption of boiled coffee both in men and in women. For filter coffee drinkers a weak coffee dose-cholesterol association was found only for women. The magnitude of the effect of boiled coffee, 0.3-0.4 mmol/l in serum cholesterol values, is in accordance with the results from controlled trials carried out among both hyper- and normocholesterolaemic subjects.     

Coffee, caffeine, and serum cholesterol in Japanese men in Hawaii

The relationship between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol was investigated in a cohort of 5,858 Japanese males born in 1900-1919 and living in Hawaii in 1965 who are currently followed by the Honolulu Heart Program. Data on coffee consumption, other dietary variables from a 24-hour dietary recall, and other potentially confounding variables collected in 1965 were correlated with serum cholesterol at that examination and at examination six years later. The mean coffee and tea consumption was 3.4 and 1.8 cups/day, respectively. Those consuming no coffee had a mean serum cholesterol of 210 mg/dl, while that of those drinking 9+ cups/day was 220 mg/dl (no such relationship was apparent with tea or cola). The relationship of coffee consumption and serum cholesterol with potentially confounding variables including body mass index, cigarette smoking, diastolic blood pressure, alcohol consumption, physical activity index, serum glucose, serum uric acid, education, age, and fat consumption was examined. When these variables were entered into a multiple regression equation with coffee consumption, a significant relationship between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol (p less than 0.001) persisted, as did that between baseline coffee consumption and serum cholesterol six years later (p less than 0.001). There was no significant relationship between tea or cola, the other major caffeine contributors to the diet, and baseline serum cholesterol. Thus, this analysis indicates a significant positive relationship between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol which is not present with other sources of caffeine.     

Coronary risk factors in middle-aged men as related to smoking, coffee intake and physical activity.

The relationship between lifestyle and coronary risk factors in blood was investigated in 165 middle-aged men. Plasma fibrinogen, serum triacylglycerols (TG), and apolipoprotein B (apo B) were higher, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) lower in smokers (n = 69) than in non-smokers (n = 96). By linear regression analysis there was a significant positive association between degree of smoking and either total cholesterol (TC), apo B, or plasma fibrinogen, whereas smoking was inversely related to HDLc. Smoking and coffee intake were positively correlated with an atherogenic index, reflecting the balance between low and high density lipoproteins. Sedentary men (n = 59) had higher mean TC, apo B, and atherogenic index than physically active men (n = 104). Smokers used salt more often than non-smokers. Physically active men used vegetables more often than sedentary men. Combining several habits into a "bad habit" score gave a high level of significance for its association with TC, apo B, and the atherogenic index. The results indicate that lifestyle may influence several blood factors involved in atherosclerosis development.     

Cigarette smoking and its association with serum lipid/lipoprotein among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: Cigarette smoking had been confirmed as an increased risk for dyslipidemia, but none of the evidence was from long-lived population. In present study, we detected relationship between cigarette smoking habits and serum lipid/lipoprotein (serum Triglyceride (TG), Total cholesterol (TC), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) among Chinese Nonagenarians/Centenarian. METHODS: The present study analyzed data from the survey that was conducted on all residents aged 90 years or more in a district, there were 2,311,709 inhabitants in 2005. Unpaired Student's t test, chi2 test, and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze datas. RESULTS: The individuals included in the statistical analysis were 216 men and 445 women. Current smokers had lower level of TC (4.05 +/- 0.81 vs. 4.21 +/- 0.87, t = 2.403, P = 0.017) and lower prevalence of hypercholesteremia (9.62% vs. 15.13%, chi2 = 3.018,P = 0.049) than nonsmokers. Unadjusted and adjusted multiple logistic regressions showed that cigarette smoking was not associated with risk for abnormal serum lipid/lipoprotein. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we found that among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians, cigarette smoking habits were not associated with increased risk for dyslipidemia, which was different from the association of smoking habits with dyslipidemia in general population.