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Biomedical subjects

F J Kok

Publications and source records attributed to F J Kok.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Vitamins B6, B12, and folate: association with plasma total homocysteine and risk of coronary atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of status of vitamins B6, B12 and folate with plasma fasting total homocysteine (tHcy) and with risk of coronary atherosclerosis; and to establish whether associations between vitamins and risk of coronary atherosclerosis are mediated by tHcy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 131 patients with angiography-defined severe coronary atherosclerosis and 88 referents with no or minor coronary stenosis. Previous analyses in this study population have shown that fasting tHcy is an independent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis. In the present analyses, using multiple linear regression, we estimated differences in tHcy concentrations between subjects in the lowest and highest quartiles of concentrations of each of the vitamins, adjusting for age, gender, total:HDL cholesterol ratio, smoking habits, alcohol intake, blood pressure, serum creatinine, body mass index and the two other vitamins. We used logistic regression analysis conditional on the set of potential confounders described above to study the association between vitamin concentration and risk of coronary atherosclerosis. By comparing these estimated odds ratios (ORs) with those that were additionally adjusted for fasting tHcy, we determined whether the vitamins exerted their effects on disease risk via homocysteine metabolism. RESULTS: Cases who were in the upper quartile of serum vitamin B12 and erythrocyte folate concentrations showed statistically significantly lower tHcy concentrations (-4.00 and -4.71 mumol/L, respectively) than those in the lowest quartile. Referents in the upper quartile of plasma B6 showed significantly lower tHcy concentrations (-2.36 mumol/L) than referents in the lowest quartile. Subjects in the lowest quartile of vitamin B12 concentrations had higher risk of coronary atherosclerosis (OR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.10, 7.71) compared to those in the highest quartile. The ORs and 95% CIs for low B6 and low folate were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.33, 2.22) and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.23, 1.48), respectively. Additional adjustment for fasting tHcy weakened associations, although data indicated that low vitamin B12 concentration is a risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis, independently of tHcy. CONCLUSION: The presently accepted view that vitamin B6 mainly affects tHcy after methionine loading, and not fasting tHcy, is contradicted by our findings in referents. Low vitamin B12 concentrations were associated with an increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis, partly independently of tHcy. Although low folate status was a strong determinant of elevated tHcy concentrations, it was not associated with increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Tissue stores of individual monounsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer: the EURAMIC study. European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer.

The strongest evidence that monunsaturated fat may influence breast cancer risk comes from studies of southern European populations, in whom intake of oleic acid sources, particularly olive oil, appears protective. No previous study has examined the relation of adipose tissue fatty acid content to breast cancer in such a population. We used adipose biopsies with diverse fat intake patterns gathered in 5 European centers, including southern Europe (Malaga, Spain), to test the hypothesis that stores of oleic acid or other monounsaturates are inversely associated with breast cancer. Gluteal fat aspirates were obtained from 291 postmenopausal incident breast cancer patients and 351 control subjects, frequency-matched for age and catchment area. Logistic regression was used to model breast cancer by monounsaturates, with established risk factors controlled for. Oleic acid showed a strong inverse association with breast cancer in the Spanish center. The odds ratio for the difference between 75th and 25th percentiles was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.58) in Malaga and 1.27 (0.88, 1.85) in all other centers pooled, with a peak at 2.36 (1.01, 5.50) for Zeist. Palmitoleic and myristoleic acids showed evidence of an inverse association outside Spain, and cis-vaccenic acid showed a positive association in 3 centers. These data do not support the hypothesis that increasing tissue stores of oleic acid are protective against breast cancer in non-Spanish populations. This finding implies that the strong protective associations reported for olive oil intake in dietary studies may be due to some other protective components of the oil and not to the direct effect of oleic acid uptake. Alternatively, high olive oil intake may indicate some other protective aspect of the lifestyle of these women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EURAMIC Study.

A multicenter case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relations between antioxidant status assessed by biomarkers and acute myocardial infarction. Incidence cases and frequency matched controls were recruited from 10 European countries to maximize the variance in exposure within the study. Adipose tissue needle aspiration biopsies were taken shortly after the infarction and analyzed for levels of carotenoids and tocopherols. An examination of colinearity including all covariates and the three carotenoids, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene, showed that the variables were sufficiently independent to model simultaneously. When examined singularly, each of the carotenoids appeared to be protective. Upon simultaneous analyses of the carotenoids, however, using conditional logistic regression models that controlled for age, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking, hypertension, and maternal and paternal history of disease, lycopene remained independently protective, with an odds ratio of 0.52 for the contrast of the 10th and 90th percentiles (95% confidence interval 0.33-0.82, p = 0.005). The associations for alpha- and beta-carotene were largely eliminated. We conclude that lycopene, or some substance highly correlated which is in a common food source, may contribute to the protective effect of vegetable consumption on myocardial infarction risk.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

DDT (dicophane) and postmenopausal breast cancer in Europe: case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine any possible links between exposure to DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)ethylene), the persistent metabolite of the pesticide dicophane (DDT), and breast cancer. DESIGN: Multicentre study of exposure to DDE by measurement of adipose tissue aspirated from the buttocks. Laboratory measurements were conducted in a single laboratory. Additional data on risk factors for breast cancer were obtained by standard questionnaires. SETTING: Centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain. SUBJECTS: 265 postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 341 controls matched for age and centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Adipose DDE concentrations. RESULTS: Women with breast cancer had adipose DDE concentrations 9.2% lower than control women. No increased risk of breast cancer was found at higher concentrations. The odds ratio of breast cancer, adjusted for age and centre, for the highest versus the lowest fourth of DDE distribution was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 1.21) and decreased to 0.48 (0.25 to 0.95; P for trend = 0.02) after adjustment for body mass index, age at first birth, and current alcohol drinking. Adjustment for other risk factors did not materially affect these estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The lower DDE concentrations observed among the women with breast cancer may be secondary to disease inception. This study does not support the hypothesis that DDE increases risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in Europe.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

The 677C-->T mutation in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene: associations with plasma total homocysteine levels and risk of coronary atherosclerotic disease.

Homozygosity for a 677C-->T mutation at the locus that codes for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a folate-dependent crucial enzyme in homocysteine metabolism, may render the enzyme thermolabile and less active and has been associated with increased levels of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy). We assessed whether this mutation was associated with increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis and plasma levels of tHcy and furthermore studied whether folate status would modify the associations. Data were collected from subjects with substantial coronary atherosclerosis (> or = 90% occlusion in one and > or = 40% occlusion in a second coronary artery, referred to as cases, n = 131) or virtually no coronary narrowing (referred to as coronary controls, n = 87) and from a population-based control group (n = 100), all residing in the Rotterdam area, The Netherlands. Both males and females, aged 25-65 years were studied. The frequency of homozygosity for the mutation (+/+) in cases (10.0%) did not significantly differ statistically from that observed in coronary controls (11.5%, P = 0.71), population-based controls (7.0%, P = 0.43), or combined control groups (9.1%, P = 0.80). In the overall group (as well as in the three subgroups), plasma tHcy levels, fasting and to a lesser extent after a methionine-loading test, were higher in +/+ subjects than in homozygous normal subjects (-/-), whereas heterozygous subjects (+/-) had intermediate levels (Ptrend = 0.001). The +/+ subjects with erythrocyte folate levels < 790 nmol/l (population median) had a 77%, (95% CI, 27-144%) higher geometric mean fasting tHcy (21.4, micromol/l) than those with higher erythrocyte folate (12.1 micromol/l). The odds ratio (OR) of coronary atherosclerosis for +/+ subjects, with +/- and -/- subjects as the reference group, in analyses with combined control groups, was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.5-2.4). The ORs were 2.2 (95% CI, 0.7-6.8) and 0.6 (95% CI, 0.2-1.7) among subjects with low and high folate levels, respectively. Our study indicates that homozygosity for the 677C-->T MTHFR mutation, especially in combination with low folate status, predisposes to high plasma levels of fasting tHcy. However, homozygosity for this mutation, whether or not in combination with low folate status, was not associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Association between toenail selenium and risk of acute myocardial infarction in European men. The EURAMIC Study. European Antioxidant Myocardial Infarction and Breast Cancer.

The association between selenium status and risk of acute myocardial infarction was examined in a multicenter case-control study in 10 centers from Europe and Israel in 1991-1992. Selenium in toenails was assessed for 683 nonfatal male cases with first acute myocardial infarction and 729 controls less than 70 years of age. Median toenail selenium content was 0.553 microgram/g for cases and 0.590 microgram/g for controls. After adjustment for age, center, and smoking, the odds ratio for myocardial infarction in the highest quintile of selenium as compared with the lowest was 0.63 (95 percent confidence interval 0.37-1.07, p for trend = 0.08). The observed inverse trend was somewhat stronger when the authors adjusted for vitamin E status (p = 0.05). Analysis stratified for smoking habits showed an inverse association in former smokers (odds ratio for the 75th-25th percentile contrast = 0.63 (95 percent confidence interval 0.43-0.94)), but not in current smokers (odds ratio = 0.97 (0.71-1.32)) or in those who had never smoked (odds ratio = 1.55 (0.87-2.76)). Analysis stratified by center showed a significant inverse association between selenium levels and risk of myocardial infarction for Germany (Berlin) only (75th to 25th percentile odds ratio = 0.62 (95 percent confidence interval 0.42-0.91)), which was the center with the lowest selenium levels. It appears that the increased risk of acute myocardial infarction at low levels of selenium intake is largely explained by cigarette smoking; selenium status does not appear to be an important determinant of risk of myocardial infarction at the levels observed in a large part of Europe.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1997

Vitamin E supplementation in elderly lowers the oxidation rate of linoleic acid in LDL.

Oxidation of LDL-linoleic acid (LDL-LA), a major substrate for lipid peroxidation, may be counteracted by the antioxidant vitamin E. In a 3-month randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial in 83 apparently healthy Dutch elderly, aged 67-85 years, the direct protective effect of 100 IU vitamin E on the rate of oxidized LDL-LA was studied. The oxidation of LDL-LA was measured by its disappearance after a 5-h in vitro Cu-oxidation of LDL isolated from 1 ml plasma. In the vitamin E group, the decrease in oxidized LDL LA of 10.4, (p < 0.05) was significantly different (p < 0.05) from the smaller 4.6% p< 0.01) decrease in the control group. Moreover, within the vitamin E group the decrease was even more marked over tertiles of alpha-tocopherol to LDL-LA ratio with a significant difference in decrease (p < 0.05) from the lowest compared to the highest tertile of, respectively, 18.4% [-24; -2%] (median and range) and 2.0% [-16: 34%]. In conclusion, supplementation with 100 IU vitamin E in elderly is beneficial in lowering the rate of oxidation of LDL LA. The protective effect of vitamin E might best be monitored by using the ratio of alpha-tocopherol to LDL-LA as this reflects the degree of alpha-tocopherol available to protect the amount of LDL-LA present.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Effect of 3 months vitamin E supplementation on indices of the cellular and humoral immune response in elderly subjects.

It has been suggested that decreased immune responsiveness in the elderly may be counteracted by the antioxidant vitamin E. In a 3-month double-blind placebo-controlled intervention trial among elderly subjects aged 65 years and over we studied the effects of a daily dose of 100 mg dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate on the cellular immune responsiveness (n 52) measured by the in vitro response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to the mitogens concanavalin A (ConA) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Also effects on the humoral immune responsiveness (n 74) were investigated by measuring immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgG4 and IgA antibody concentrations against various common antigens. In the vitamin E group plasma alpha-tocopherol increased by 51% (P = 0.0001) during intervention whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. Initial proliferative PBMC responses differed between the vitamin E group and the control group whereas all other baseline characteristics were comparable. No significant changes were observed in cellular immune responsiveness when adjusted for initial values in either the control group or the vitamin E group and, after the trial period, responses in the two groups were not significantly different. Similarly, in the vitamin E group no significant changes were found in levels of IgG and IgA raised against Penicillium or IgG4 raised against egg, milk, or wheat proteins. In the control group small but significant increases in IgG anti-Penicillium (P < 0.05) and decreases in IgG4 against milk proteins (P < 0.05) were observed. Thus, the results of this study performed with the relatively low dose of 100 mg dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate do not support the claims of a beneficial effect of vitamin E intake on the overall immune responsiveness of elderly subjects.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1997

Tea and cancer prevention: an evaluation of the epidemiologic literature.

Animal and in vitro studies provide evidence of an anticarcinogenic potential of active ingredients in teas. This review encompasses epidemiologic studies of stomach, colon, and lung cancer as well as the evidence of a relationship between tea drinking and cancer at large in humans. Cohort studies do not suggest a protective role for tea drinking in the total risk of cancer. Site-specific studies reveal a more complex picture. The epidemiologic studies on tea drinking and stomach cancer do not justify claims of a cancer-protective effect. A protective effect of green tea on the development of colon cancer is suggested. The evidence regarding black tea is less clear, with some indication of a risk of colon or rectal cancer associated with regular use of black tea. The studies on tea and lung cancer also suggest an increased risk with increased tea consumption. The range and crude categorization of tea consumption, choice of control groups, and inadequate control for confounding might have obscured possible relationships. From the limited studies that suggest a favorable effect from tea, it is likely that benefits are restricted to high intakes in high-risk populations.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1997

Plasma total homocysteine, B vitamins, and risk of coronary atherosclerosis.

Epidemiological research has shown that elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk factor for atherosclerotic disease. In the present case-control study, we investigated whether fasting or postmethionine-loading tHcy was a stronger predictor of risk of severe coronary atherosclerosis. Furthermore, we studied levels of B vitamins, which are involved in homocysteine metabolism. Subjects were recruited from men and women, aged 25 to 65 years, who underwent coronary angiography between June 1992 and June 1994 in a hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Cases (n=131) were defined as those with > or =90% occlusion in one and > or =40% occlusion in a second coronary artery, while control subjects (n=88) had <50% occlusion in only one coronary vessel. In addition, a population-based control group free from clinical cardiovascular disease (n=101) was studied. Coronary patients were studied at least 2.5 months after angiography or other acute illness, such as myocardial infarction. After adjusting for age and sex differences between the groups, cases had 9% (P=.01) higher geometric mean fasting and 7% (P=.04) higher geometric mean postload tHcy than the combined control groups. Despite higher levels of tHcy for cases, their geometric mean levels of red cell folate and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate were higher than for control subjects, whereas plasma vitamin B12 was only slightly lower in cases. The frequency distribution of tHcy values in cases was slightly shifted toward the right, across the entire range, compared with the distribution in the combined control group. This was somewhat more obvious for fasting than postload tHcy levels. The odds ratio (OR) for severe coronary atherosclerosis (case status) for each 1 SD increase in fasting tHcy (5 micromol/L) was 1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.6), similar to the OR for each 1 SD increase (12 micromol/L) in postmethionine-loading tHcy (1.3 [95 CI, 1.0-1.7]), after adjustment for sex, age, and other potential confounders. Furthermore, there was a significant linear trend of increasing fasting tHcy with increasing number of occluded arteries (P=.01), correcting for sex, age, and other potential confounders. Our data show a positive association between plasma tHcy and risk of severe coronary atherosclerosis, of similar strength for fasting and postload tHcy levels. The data suggest that the association exists over a wide range of tHcy levels, without a clear cutoff point below which there is no increased risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Effect of strenuous exercise on fibrinogen and fibrinolysis in healthy elderly men and women.

The elevated incidence of thrombotic disease in elderly people may be associated with an increase in PAI-1 and fibrinogen with ageing. Cross-sectional studies report an inverse relation of PAI-1 and fibrinogen with physical activity, but training studies show inconsistent results. In a controlled intervention study among elderly subjects (aged 60-80 years) we observed a moderate decrease in PAI-1 antigen (4%, -2.1 +/- 2.4 ng/ml), a significant increase in t-PA activity (11%, 0.07 +/- 0.04 IU/ml) and an unexpected significant increase in fibrinogen (6%, 0.18 +/- 0.07 g/l) in subjects following a 6-month intensive training program as compared to controls. Reduction in PAI-1 antigen was significantly associated with a decrease in triglycerides (beta = 10.3 ng/ml per 1 mM, p <0.01) and insulin (beta = 2.37 ng/ml per 1 mU/l, p = 0.07). Increase in fibrinogen coincided with a rise in C-reactive protein (p <0.001). These data suggest that regular intensive activity may increase fibrinolytic activity in a moderate way, but also may cause chronically elevated plasma levels of acute phase proteins in elderly persons.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Adipose tissue trans fatty acids and breast cancer in the European Community Multicenter Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Breast Cancer.

To investigate the relationship between trans fatty acids and postmenopausal breast cancer in European populations differing greatly in their dietary fat intakes, a case control study using adipose tissue stores of trans fatty acids as a biomarker of exposure was conducted. Subjects included 698 postmenopausal incident cases of primary breast cancer and controls randomly drawn from local population and patient registries, ages 50-74 Concentrations of individual trans fatty acids in gluteal fat biopsies were measured in these women. The adipose concentration of trans fatty acids showed a positive association with breast cancer. The covariate-adjusted association with breast cancer. The covariate-adjusted OR was 1.40 (95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.93) for the difference between the 75th and 25th percentiles of total adipose trans. The adjusted OR for trans in the lowest tertile of polyunsaturated fatty acid reached 3.6 (2.2, 6.1). These associations were not attributable to differences in age, body mass index, exogenous hormone use, or socioeconomic status. These findings suggest an association of adipose stores of trans fatty acids with postmenopausal breast cancer in European women. They require confirmation in other populations, with concomitant consideration of the potential roles of dietary saturated and monounsaturated fats.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Alcohol intake and risk of breast cancer: the euramic study.

To evaluate the association of alcohol intake with the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, we analyzed the data from an international case-control study conducted in five European countries (FRG, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain). Information on alcohol intake was available in 315 cases and 364 controls. Medians for the tertiles of alcohol intake among current drinkers were 1.7, 6.0, and 20.0 g/day. Adjusted relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals) of breast cancer for each tertile of intake in current drinkers, compared to never drinkers, were 1.00 (0.60-1.67), 1.01 (0.60-1.73), and 1.18 (0.69-2.03). The adjusted relative risk for ex-drinkers was 1.73 (1.07-2.79). Among both current drinkers and ex-drinkers, the relative risk was higher for those with body mass index above the median compared to those with body mass index below the median. These results do not support a dose-response effect of alcohol on breast cancer risk, although consumption levels were too low to exclude increased risk with high regular intake. Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of developing breast cancer among ex-drinkers and the potential interaction between body mass index and alcohol drinking.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1996

Homocysteine metabolism and risk of myocardial infarction: relation with vitamins B6, B12, and folate.

Elevated plasma homocyst(e)ine levels are an independent risk factor for vascular disease. In a case-control study, the authors studied the associations of fasting plasma homocyst(e)ine and vitamins, which are important cofactors in homocysteine metabolism, with the risk of myocardial infarction. The cases were 130 Boston area patients hospitalized with a first myocardial infarction and 118 population controls, less than 76 years of age, enrolled in 1982 and 1983. Dietary intakes of vitamins B6, B12, and folate were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. After adjusting for sex and age, the authors found that the geometric mean plasma homocyst(e)ine level was 11% higher in cases compared with controls (p = 0.006). There was no clear excess of cases with extremely elevated levels. The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio for each 3-mumol/liter (approximately 1 standard deviation) increase in plasma homocyst(e)ine was 1.35 (95% confidence interval 1.05-1.75; p trend = 0/007). After further control for several risk factors, the odds ratio was not affected, but the confidence interval was wider and the p value for trend was less significant. Dietary and plasma levels of vitamin B6 and folate were lower in cases than in controls, and these vitamins were inversely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, independently of other potential risk factors. Vitamin B12 showed no clear association with myocardial infarction, although methylmalonic acid levels were significantly higher in cases. Comparing the mean levels of several homocysteine metabolites among cases and controls, the authors found that impairment of remethylation of homocyst(e)ine (dependent of folate and vitamin B12 rather than on vitamin B6-dependent transsulfuration) was the predominant cause of high homocyst(e)ine levels in cases. Accordingly, plasma folate and, to a lesser extent, plasma vitamin B12, but not vitamin B6, correlated inversely with plasma homocyst(e)ine, even for concentrations at the high end of normal values. These data provide further evidence that plasma homocyst(e)ine is an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction. In this population, folate was the most important determinant of plasma homocyst(e)ine, even in subjects with apparently adequate nutritional status of this vitamin.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1996

Tissue antioxidants and postmenopausal breast cancer: the European Community Multicentre Study on Antioxidants, Myocardial Infarction, and Cancer of the Breast (EURAMIC).

Antioxidants may protect against free radical mediated carcinogenesis. Epidemiological studies have not confirmed this hypothesis for breast cancer, possibly because of methodological limitations. Time-integrated exposure of alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene in adipose tissue, and selenium in toenails was investigated in a case-control study among postmenopausal women, ages 50-74 years, from five European countries. The study group comprised 347 incident breast cancer cases and 374 controls. Mean antioxidant levels, adjusted for age and center, did not significantly differ for alpha-tocopherol (cases were 4.5% higher than controls), beta-carotene (3.0% lower), or selenium (1.8% lower). Odds ratios for highest versus lowest tertiles of exposure, adjusted for potential confounders, were 1.15 (95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.77), 0.74 (0.45-1.23), and 0.96 (0.63-1.47), respectively, without evidence for a decreasing trend. No statistically significant interactions were observed. Moreover, a provisional antioxidant score, indicating whether concentrations were above the median for zero, one, two, or all three antioxidants, yielded odds ratios of 1.00 (reference; all below median), 1.58, 1.58, and 1.21, respectively (chi2 for association = 4.00; P = 0.26). These results do not support the hypothesis that antioxidants are important determinants of this hormone-related malignancy among postmenopausal women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire for use in epidemiologic research among the elderly: validation by comparison with dietary history.

A self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire including 75 food items and providing information on the habitual intake of 31 nutritional parameters, based on the intake of protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber and 11 vitamins and minerals, was developed for use in epidemiologic research on chronic disease among the elderly, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. By means of detailed frequency and quantity questions, specifications of types of food, preparation methods and seasonal variation, the questionnaire was expected to be an improvement on existing instruments. The relative validity of the questionnaire was examined in 74 men and women, aged 50-75, by comparison with a modified dietary history. Systematic differences were absent or negligible for all nutrients, except vitamin C. Bias depending on the level of intake could be ruled out for all but seven nutrients. Pearson correlation coefficients for estimates from the questionnaire and dietary history were on average 0.71 (range: 0.65-0.78) and 0.66 (range: 0.36-0.81) for macronutrients, and vitamins and minerals, respectively. Classifying individual intake estimates into tertiles of the distribution for both methods, on average 62.4 and 54.7% of the intakes were categorized into the same tertile and 3.9 and 5.9% into the opposite tertile for macronutrients, vitamins and minerals, respectively. These results demonstrate an acceptable relative validity for this newly developed questionnaire, as compared to the dietary history method.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Physical activities of noninstitutionalized Dutch elderly and characteristics of inactive elderly.

For preventive purposes habitual physical activity was investigated in noninstitutionalized elderly and a profile was composed of the most inactive among them. In a cross-sectional study conducted in 1992 in Arnhem, 503 women and 493 men, aged 65-84 yr, were interviewed. Habitual physical activities and total activity scores were assessed with a questionnaire, previously validated for elderly. Among other things, our findings revealed that light housework (e.g. dusting, washing dishes) was carried out by 90% of the women and 61% of the men. Thirteen percent of the women and 9% of the men had no recreational physical activities (sports or other physically active leisure time activities). Physical activity level seems to be associated with age, socioeconomic status (only for men), marital status (only for women), disability, subjective health, presence of chronic diseases, living in houses with stairs, and living close to shops (only for men). For example, age-adjusted odds ratios for being physically inactive were 28.6 and 7.1, respectively, for women and men with disabilities (95% confidence intervals: 6.4-127.0 and 2.7-18.3, respectively). Our findings suggest physically inactive elderly are mainly characterized by older age and a less favorable health. Physical activity of these elderly deserves special attention, to prevent further deterioration and loss of independence.

Activities of Daily Living↗