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G De Backer

Publications and source records attributed to G De Backer.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Fat sources in the Belgian diet.

Food consumption data from the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health study (n = 11,302) were analyzed with regard to fat intake. Intakes of macronutrients were compared between several subgroups in the population. The major objective was to quantify the contribution of food groups and individual food items to the intake of total fat, polyunsaturated (PUFA), monounsaturated (MUFA) and saturated (SFA) fat in the Belgian diet. These results are compared to nutritional guidelines and Italian, US and Dutch data. Major sources of fat are butter (16% of the total intake) and baking margarine (8%). Major sources of SFA are butter (24%) and cheese (8%), of MUFA butter (13%) and baking margarine (9%), and of PUFA diet margarine (23%) and mayonnaise (11%).

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Fatty acid composition of the Belgian diet: estimates derived from the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health.

The major objective of this study was to determine the fatty acid composition of the Belgian diet. Food consumption data from a large representative sample (n = 11,302) of the Belgian population between 25 and 74 years of age (BIRNH study) were analyzed with regard to the intake of fatty acids. The fatty acid composition of the major fat sources in the Belgian diet was determined and used to calculate average intakes for fatty acids from C4 to C22. In addition, results are compared to other studies and to guidelines for n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids provide 17% of the energy intake in the Belgian diet, polyunsaturated fatty acids 7%, and monounsaturated fatty acids 14%. The intake of total n-6 fatty acids is very high (6 en%), particularly of linoleic acid. The intake of n-3 fatty acids is low, only 0.8 en%, which results in a low ratio of n-3 to n-6 (0.15). The most important sources of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids are margarine and meat, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The effect of age and lifestyle factors on plasma levels of apolipoprotein E.

BACKGROUND: The plasma concentration of apolipoprotein E might be an important risk factor for various chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of lifestyle-related factors in determining concentrations of apolipoprotein E. METHODS: The independent effects of age and several lifestyle-related factors [body mass index (BMI), smoking, consumption of alcohol, physical activity, educational level and poly-unsaturated:saturated fatty acid intake ratio in diet] on the apolipoprotein E concentration were assessed for a sample of 757 middle-aged working men. Multiple log-linear regression models were fitted with additional correction for the apolipoprotein E polymorphism. RESULTS: The overall mean plasma concentration of apolipoprotein E was 3.44 mg/dl with mean levels varying from 2.42 mg/dl in men with the E4/4 phenotype to 8.32 mg/dl in men in the E2/2 group. In multivariate analysis apolipoprotein E levels were found to be significantly positively correlated to BMI (P<0.0001) and consumption of alcohol (P=0.04). The effect of age on the apolipoprotein E concentration was significantly quadratic (P=0.02) with highest levels found in the men aged 40-44 years (levels 13.3% greater than those in the men aged 35-39 years). Subjects with BMI in the range 27-30 kg/m2 had on average a 16.4% higher apolipoprotein E concentration than did men in the group with BMI lower than 23 kg/m2. This adjusted proportional increase amounted to 22.6% for the severely obese subjects (BMI>30 kg/m2). The independent effect of current smoking was only of borderline stat stical significance. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that age and lifestyle-related factors, such as BMI and to a lesser extent consumption of alcohol and smoking, should be taken into account as possible confounders in the study of the plasma concentration of apolipoprotein E as a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Is low serum chloride level a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality?

BACKGROUND: Serum chloride level is routinely assayed in clinical laboratories in the management of patients with kidney disorders and with metabolic diseases. It is a biological parameter that is easily, precisely and relatively cheaply measured. The epidemiological features of serum chloride levels have not been studied before. METHODS: For the random sample of men and women from the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health aged 25-74 years, free of symptomatic coronary heart disease at baseline, serum chloride concentrations were measured, among those of other electrolytes. The cohort was followed up for 10 years with respect to subsequent cause-specific mortality. RESULTS: The results are based on observations of 4793 men and 4313 women. According to Cox regression analysis serum chloride level was one of the strongest predictors of total, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and non-CVD mortalities independently of age, body mass index, sex, smoking, systolic blood pressure, levels of total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, uric acid, serum creatinine and serum total proteins and intake of diuretics. This relation was proved to be independent of levels of other serum electrolytes and similar for men and women. The estimated adjusted risk ratio for CVD death for subjects with a serum chloride level < or =100 mmol/l compared with those with levels above that limit was 1.65 (95% confidence interval 1.06-2.57) for men and 2.16 (95% confidence interval 1.11-4.22) for women. The study of adjusted risk ratios for four groups of subjects defined on the basis of their baseline serum chloride levels revealed a decreasing log-linear 'dose-response' relation to total and cardiovascular mortalities. CONCLUSION: This s the first report from a population-based study to indicate that there is an association between serum chloride level and the incidence of total, CVD and non-CVD mortalities. The risk ratio for CVD mortality associated with a low serum chloride level was comparable to or higher than those observed for well-established CVD risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Consumption of fatty acids in Belgium and its relationship with cancer mortality.

In this study a description of the consumption of fatty acids in Belgium is given. The results indicate significant differences in the consumption of fatty acids according to region. Furthermore, several sex-, age- and district-specific cancer mortality rates are correlated with sex-, age- and district-specific calorie-adjusted intakes of fatty acids. For colorectal cancer in men but not in women, a significant positive association is found in univariate and multivariate regression with consumption of polyunsaturated fat and with the ratio unsaturated to saturated fat. For prostate cancer, breast cancer and total cancer, no clear associations with the studied dietary factors are found.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Intra-individual variability of fibrinogen levels.

Elevated fibrinogen concentrations are recognized as playing an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In the framework of a risk factor survey in 342 middle-aged working men, screened twice over a period of five months, plasma fibrinogen levels were found to be fairly unstable as large discrepancies between both measurements were observed. Due to a substantial proportion of within-person variability, the reliability coefficient was only R = 0.56. Repeatability was highest in higher educated and physically more active men. Our data suggest that the impact of elevated fibrinogen levels on the development of ischemic heart disease and stroke, is likely to be under-estimated.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Short stature and heart disease: nature or nurture? The EARS Group.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that short men are at increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It has been suggested that the inverse relationship between adult height and CHD risk could be attributable to the fetal origins of CHD. METHOD: The hypothesis that transmissible factors could partly explain the association has been tested in the European Atherosclerosis Research Studies (I and II), in which a sample of healthy university students (cases), drawn from 18 European countries (male: n = 721; female: n = 330), whose fathers had had a documented myocardial infarction before the age of 55 years were compared to age- and sex-matched controls (male: n = 1056; female: n = 638). Information about lifestyle and birthweight was collected and a fasting blood sample was obtained from each subject. RESULTS: In females there was no difference in height between cases and controls but male cases were shorter than controls, on average by one cm, both in the EARS I (P = 0.02) and the EARS II studies (P = 0.01) and this difference was independent of reported birthweight and the fathers' educational attainment. In logistic regression the relationship was independent of the subjects' apolipoprotein B level, the other major biological discriminator of case-control status. CONCLUSION: In men at least, height appears to be an independent transmissible risk factor for CHD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Relation between fat intake and mortality: an ecological analysis in Belgium.

A representative sample of the Belgian population, aged 25-74 years, was interviewed between 1980 and 1985. Dietary habits were assessed using a 24 h food record method. Age-, sex- and district-specific energy-adjusted averages of macronutrient intakes were compared with mortality rates from 1988-90, with special emphasis on the association between fat intake and cancer mortality. Univariate analyses were followed by multiple linear regression analyses, controlling for possible confounders such as fibre intake, smoking and educational level. In multivariate analyses, significant positive associations were found between all-causes mortality and saturated fat intake in men, and between all-causes mortality and the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids in men; colorectal cancer mortality was associated with polyunsaturated fat intake and with the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat in men. Significant negative associations were found between all-causes mortality and polyunsaturated fat intake in men, and between all-causes mortality and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fat in men; colorectal cancer mortality was associated with saturated fat intake in men. In women, only breast cancer mortality was associated with saturated and monounsaturated fat intake. Prostate cancer mortality was not related to any of the studied dietary fat components. For total cancer mortality, only weak non-significant associations with fat intake were found.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1997

Overall and meal-specific macronutrient intake in Belgian primary school children.

In the fall of 1991, dietary intake of 1,321 primary school children aged 6-12 years was studied in 79 schools in an area called 'South Campine' in Flanders-the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Assessment of dietary intake was done using the '24-hour estimated food record method'. The energy distribution over the macronutrients showed no significant difference between boys and girls. On average 37.2% (SD 7.88%) of energy came from total fat and 15.4% (SD 3.70%) from saturated fatty acids; 49.0% (SD 7.87%) from total carbohydrates with 21.8% (SD 5.84%) from complex carbohydrates and 27.7% (SD 7.79%) from free sugars. Snacks accounted for on average 19.5% (SD 10.83%) of total energy intake; on average 55.7% (SD 21.22%) of the energy in these snacks was represented by free sugars. Lunch and dinner had very high fat contents (around 40% of energy). Already at this young age, the dietary pattern is deviating strongly from the recommended population nutrient goals.

Belgium↗
PubMed1997

Epidemiology of chronic venous insufficiency.

In contrast to the knowledge on the frequency and determinants of arterial diseases, little epidemiologic research has been carried out on venous diseases; this may be partly due to methodological problems in defining chronic venous insufficiency and in measuring these conditions with sufficient validity. Epidemiologic studies that were published after 1965 and that are not based on clinical series are reviewed; prevalence and incidence rates are reported. Studies of risk factors for varicose veins have largely resulted in inconsistent results; the sex difference is universal while the large geographical differences suggest strong environmental influences. For all other determinants much of the variation between studies is probably related to differences in definition, in population-sampling techniques, and in assessment methods. Several plausible etiologic theories on the causes and development of chronic venous insufficiency are supported or refuted by the epidemiologic studies. Further research is needed, whenever possible cross-cultural, with particular emphasis on clear definitions, valid methods, and a prospective study design.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1997

[Hypercholesterolemia in Belgium in 1996: an epidemiological viewpoint].

The authors review the epidemiological evidence linking causally the level of blood cholesterol to coronary heart disease. The evidence is based both on analytical and experimental epidemiology. They review also the two strategies of prevention: the strategy of screening for the detection of "high risk" subjects and the "population" or mass approach. The distribution of blood cholesterol in Belgium according to the Belgian Interuniversity Research on Nutrition and Health (BIRNH) data is presented. Finally, blood cholesterol is placed within a multifactorial prevention perspective using the Framingham equations. The multifactorial approach is now based on different instruments among which the graphs published by the European Society of Cardiology which are "user friendly".

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in middle-aged Belgian men: phenotype distribution and relation to serum lipids and lipoproteins.

Apo E phenotype was determined in 760 Belgian men, aged 35 to 59 years. Serum lipids and lipoproteins were related to the apo E polymorphism in 734 participants. By comparison with the most frequent apo E3/3 phenotype, the presence of the epsilon2 allele was associated with a lower serum total and non-HDL cholesterol, and with a lower apo B and a higher HDL cholesterol, independently of age, lifestyle factors and apo E concentration. In contrast, the presence of the epsilon4 allele was associated with a higher serum total and non-HDL cholesterol, and with a lower HDL cholesterol and a lower apo AI. The apo E phenotype explained 17.4% of the variance in apo E concentration; the proportion of the variance in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, apo AI and apo B levels explained by the apo E polymorphism was low but statistically significant. Among the lifestyle factors, waist to hip ratio was the only variable significantly associated with apo E concentration. The data suggest that besides the well-documented increasing effect on non-HDL cholesterol, the epsilon4 allele could further predispose to coronary heart disease through a decreasing effect on HDL while the epsilon2 allele could exert a protective influence through both a decreasing effect on non-HDL cholesterol and an increasing effect on HDL cholesterol.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Determinants of lipoprotein(a) levels in a middle-aged working population.

BACKGROUND: The association between blood lipids, apolipoproteins, fibrinogen, life-style-related factors and lipoprotein(a) was assessed in a cohort of middle-aged men. METHODS: Male employees, working in local industry, were invited to participate in a health survey at their worksite. After exclusion of nine persons with prevalent diabetes and 14 subjects with a history of myocardial infarction or angina, data were available on 720 healthy Caucasian men. RESULTS: Lipoprotein(a) concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and distribution was found to be highly skewed with a median level of 9 mg.dl-1 (mean level 23.1 mg.dl-1). The percentage of subjects with lipoprotein(a) levels higher than 30 mg.dl-1 was 23.6%. Univariate analysis showed a significant association between lipoprotein(a) and age, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and fibrinogen. However, no relationship was found with body mass index, waist to hip ratio, smoking, blood pressure, alcohol consumption, diet, HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein AI and apolipoprotein E concentration or apolipoprotein E polymorphism. In multivariate analysis, In-transformed lipoprotein(a) correlated positively with apolipoprotein B (P < 0.0001) and fibrinogen (P = 0.004). Proportional changes in lipoprotein(a) concentration were predicted in relation to specified changes in biochemical and lifestyle variables. A 20 mg.dl-1 increase in apolipoprotein B and a 75 mg.dl-1 increase in fibrinogen levels were estimated to increase lipoprotein(a) concentration by 29.4% and 21.5% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the existence of an independent association between lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen and give evidence for correlation with apolipoprotein B.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Incidence and course of acute coronary events in the population of Ghent from 1983 to 1990].

In the framework of the W.H.O.- MONICA project, a register for acute coronary events was established in the adult population aged 25-69 years of the city of Ghent. One of the objectives is to collect on an annual basis precise and valid information on the frequency of the disease. Fatal and non-fatal coronary events were monitored through the population-based register, using a standardized protocol and rigid diagnostic criteria. These criteria were evaluated by the research group on the basis of available information that was collected in collaboration with family doctors, hospital physicians, the city hall services and the district medical structure. Lethality was defined as deaths occurring within 28 days after initial symptoms. From 1993 to 1990, 2.626 events were registered. The age standardized annual event rates in men varied from 32.2 to 41.7/10.000; in women the corresponding values were 9.2 and 16.6/10.000. The attack rate declined over time at a rate of -13% over 5 years in men and -23% over 5 years in women. Attack rates of fatal coronary events declined even stronger. The incidence was calculated only in hospitalized cases in whom the antecedents of heart attacks were known in 93%. The age standardized annual incidence rates in hospitalized men varied from 15.5 to 22.4/10.000 and from 4.0 to 6.8/10.000 in hospitalized women. Over time no significant changes in incidence rates were observed. In both sexes there was a trend towards a decline in the incidence of fatal cases and towards an increase in the incidence of non-fatal cases. Lethality was dependent on age, sex and declined over time; the maximal case fatality rate was 57.9% and the minimal 42.3%. The lethality in hospitalized cases was 23.8% on average and declined significantly over time. In hospitalized cases with a first heart attack the lethality was 18.5%. All patients who entered the register from 1983 to 1985 for a non-fatal event (n = 465) were followed as to vital status until the end of 1991. The five years survival was 80.4 and 77.0% in respectively men and women. The long term prognosis was not different between sexes, strongly dependent on age and slightly different in the presence of antecedents of heart attacks. These results illustrate how precise and valid information on the frequency of acute coronary events can be collected through a population-based register. The results indicate high attack and incidence rates, a high case-fatality but favorable time trends from 1983 to 1990.

Acute Disease↗