Life style and cardiovascular risk factors in the Japanese population--from an epidemiological survey on serum lipid levels in Japan 1990 part 1: influence of life style and excess body weight on HDL-cholesterol and other lipid parameters in men

Low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) has long been used as an important predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD), although HDL-C values themselves are influenced by various factors including serum triglyceride (TG) levels, obesity, and life style. In view of the importance of the metabolic syndrome as a risk factor of CAD, changes in HDL-C and other lipid parameters in the Japanese population associated with life style, especially in males, were analyzed in this study based on data obtained in an epidemiological survey carried out in 1990. Smokers had higher TG and lower HDL-C levels than non-smokers, while BMI and LDL-C were slightly decreased by smoking in middle-aged men (40-59 years old). Increases in both HDL-C and TG due to alcohol consumption were associated with an increase in BMI in younger men aged 20-39. In middle-aged men, significant increases in HDL-C were seen in every quintile of BMI, while the increase in TG levels due to alcohol was small. Middle-aged men engaged in occupations requiring greater physical activity also had higher HDL-C levels in every quintile of BMI. The influence of life style on serum lipid parameters appeared to be mostly expressed as a function of BMI in younger men, while it appeared to be independent of BMI in older men.