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Biomedical subjects

J D Curb

Publications and source records attributed to J D Curb.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Associations among baseline physical activity and subsequent cardiovascular risk factors.

To determine stability of cross-sectional associations between physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors and provide information regarding possible independent effects of physical activity on reduced cardiovascular disease, this report examined associations among baseline physical activity and risk factors measured over 15 yr. Subjects were 1,379 Honolulu Heart Program participants who were evaluated at baseline and three subsequent examinations. For men initially 45-54 yr, higher physical activity level was significantly associated cross-sectionally and at 2 yr with lower diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, and skinfold thicknesses, and at 5 yr with higher high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. By the 15-yr examination, only associations between physical activity level and skinfold thicknesses remained significant. For men 55-68 yr, significant cross-sectional and 2-yr associations were found between higher physical activity level and lower skinfold thicknesses, and higher HDL cholesterol at 5 yr. Higher physical activity continued to be associated with lower skinfold thicknesses and was related to lower systolic blood pressure by the 15-yr examination. Results suggest that most cross-sectional associations between physical activity and risk factors diminish over time, providing support for prospective investigations that find physical activity has a beneficial effect on reduced cardiovascular disease partially independent of traditional risk factors.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Pulmonary function decline and 17-year total mortality: the Honolulu Heart Program.

The Honolulu Heart Program continues to follow a cohort of Japanese-American men initially aged 45-68 years, of whom 4,000 had three acceptable measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) between 1965 and 1974 and were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The 6-year rate of change (slope) in FEV1 was calculated using a within-person linear regression method. Men were divided into tertiles based on the rate of change in FEV1. During 17 subsequent years of follow-up, 796 deaths occurred. The tertile with the greatest rate of decline in FEV1 (mean, -61 ml/year) had the highest age-adjusted total mortality rate (17.3/1,000 person-years), followed by rates of 13.2 for the middle tertile (mean, -25 ml/year) and 11.0 for men with the smallest change in FEV1 (mean, +9 ml/year) (test for trend, p < 0.0001). Using the Cox model, comparing the tertile with the smallest change in FEV1 as a reference group with the tertile with the greatest decline in FEV1, and after adjusting for age, hypertension, smoking, body mass index, alcohol intake, diabetes mellitus, and cholesterol, the authors found the relative risk (RR) for total mortality to be 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-1.77). After stratification by smoking status, this association remained significant for past smokers (RR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.31-2.14), as well as for the low, < or = 42 (RR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.05-2.03), and high, > 42 (RR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.20-2.02), pack-year groups. An increased risk was also present for current smokers (RR = 1.29), but it was of borderline significance (p = 0.08). No association was found among never smokers. These data suggest that the rate of decline in FEV1 is a predictor of total mortality among smokers.

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PubMed1994

To what extent do cardiovascular risk factor values measured in elderly men represent their midlife values measured 25 years earlier? A preliminary report and commentary from the Honolulu Heart Program.

In a Honolulu Heart Program cohort of 1,604 elderly men aged 70-90 years who were sampled from the most recent follow-up examination (1991-1992), current risk factor values were compared with those obtained 25 years earlier when the same men were between ages 45-64 and free of clinically diagnosed cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease risk factors studied included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, cigarette smoking, body mass index, and alcohol intake. For systolic pressure, 65% of the men had moved into a different quartile by old age, with 25% changing by more than one quartile. For diastolic pressure, 68% had moved into another quartile, with 28% moving more than one quartile, and for body mass index, 53% had moved into another quartile, with 14% moving more than a quartile. Less than 1% started to smoke, while 27% were reclassified from smokers to nonsmokers. Only 4% started to drink alcohol, while 30% were reclassified from drinkers to nondrinkers. When the men were stratified into cardiovascular disease, noncardiovascular disease, and healthy follow-up groups, modest deviations from the overall pattern were observed, with morbidity groups showing a greater tendency to reduction in risk factor levels. The results show that there is a substantial redistribution of major cardiovascular disease risk factor values between midlife and old age. Since midlife values are more likely to represent lifelong exposure values that, in turn, make the main contribution to the development of atherosclerosis, investigators and clinicians may need to be cautious in using risk factor values measured late in life as the only means of assessing risk for subsequent disease.

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PubMed1994

Physical activity in older middle-aged men and reduced risk of stroke: the Honolulu Heart Program.

From 1965 to 1968, the Honolulu Heart Program began following 8,006 men in a prospective study of cardiovascular disease. At the time of study enrollment, an estimate of current 24-hour habitual physical activity was collected from each subject. On the basis of a calculated physical activity index, subjects were classified as being inactive, partially active, or active. This report examines the relation between the levels of physical activity and stroke that occurred among 7,530 of the men over 22 years of follow-up. Risk of stroke was examined separately in younger (45-54 years) middle-aged men and older (55-68 years) middle-aged men. Among the older men, those who were inactive or partially active experienced a three- to fourfold excess incidence of hemorrhagic stroke as compared with active men (p < 0.01). There was a two- to threefold excess of intracerebral hemorrhage in men who were inactive or partially active as compared with those who were active (p < 0.05). An excess of subarachnoid hemorrhage was observed in inactive older men, with only one event occurring in those who were active (p < 0.05). After exclusion of subjects with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and left ventricular hypertrophy, the relative risk of hemorrhagic stroke for inactive men versus active men was 3.7 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-10.4). In older men who did not smoke cigarettes, the relative risk of thromboembolic stroke among inactive men versus active men was 2.8 (95% CI 1.2-6.7), and when partially active older men were compared with those who were active, the relative risk was 2.4 (95% CI 1.0-5.7). These findings persisted after control for the residual effects of systolic blood pressure and other risk factors for stroke. Benefits of physical activity in reducing the risk of thromboembolic stroke were not observed in men who smoked cigarettes. The authors conclude that physical activity may be important in reducing the risk of stroke, particularly among nonsmoking men in older middle age.

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PubMed1994

Correlates of ventricular ectopic activity in isolated systolic hypertension. SHEP Cooperative Research Group.

Ventricular ectopic activity was recorded at baseline in 5.6% of the 12-lead electrocardiograms and 8.2% of the 2-minute rhythm strips of 4674 subjects with isolated systolic hypertension (systolic blood pressure 160 to 219 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg) participating in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP). In this study 1.3% had 6 to 10 ventricular premature beats (VPB), and 0.7% had > 10 VPB on the 2-minute rhythm strip. Correlates of VPB presence on the 12-lead ECG were older-age male sex, presence of Q/QS pattern and higher heart rate. Participants with serum potassium < 3.5 mmol/L had a higher prevalence of VPB. Similarly, the number of VPB on the 2-minute rhythm strip was associated with male sex, increasing age, with lower serum potassium, history of palpitations, and presence of Q/QS patterns.

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PubMed1994

Physical activity and 23-year incidence of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality among middle-aged men. The Honolulu Heart Program.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to examine the association between physical activity and 23-year incidence of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. This cohort study continues to follow 8006 Japanese-American men who were 45 to 68 years of age and living on Oahu, Hawaii, in 1965, for the development of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Framingham physical activity index was calculated by summing the product of average hours spent at each activity level and a weighting factor based on oxygen consumption. Study subjects were divided into tertiles of physical activity index at baseline. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incidence of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality were obtained using the Cox model. After age adjustment and using the lowest physical activity index tertile as a reference group, the relative risk for coronary heart disease incidence for the highest tertile of physical activity was 0.83 (CI, 0.70 to 0.99). After adjusting for age, hypertension, smoking, alcohol intake, diabetes, cholesterol, and body mass index, the relative risk was 0.95 and CI included 1 (CI, 0.80 to 1.14). For coronary heart disease mortality, the age-adjusted relative risk was 0.74 (CI, 0.56 to 0.97) and 0.85 (CI, 0.65 to 1.13) after risk factor adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the impact of physical activity index on coronary heart disease is mediated through its effects on hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and body mass index. These findings support the hypothesis that physical activity is inversely associated with coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality and suggest that physical activity interventions in middle-aged men, by improving cardiovascular risk factor levels, may have significant public health implications in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

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PubMed1994

Body mass index and thromboembolic stroke in nonsmoking men in older middle age. The Honolulu Heart Program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: While evidence suggests that obesity has an independent relation to coronary artery disease, similar findings for stroke have not been established. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between body mass index and the risk of thromboembolic stroke independently of other risk factors. METHODS: Since 1965, the Honolulu Heart Program has followed a cohort of men in a prospective study of cardiovascular disease. This article examines the relationship between the baseline measurement of body mass index and the risk of thromboembolic stroke in 1163 nonsmoking men in older middle age (55 to 68 years). Men who had an elevated risk of stroke due to hypertension, diabetes, and other risk factors were excluded from the analysis. RESULTS: After 22 years of follow-up, the rate of stroke increased significantly with increasing levels of body mass (P < .01). In the bottom tertile of the body mass index, the rate of thromboembolic stroke was 28.7 per 1000 (11/383). In the middle tertile, the rate was increased by 40% to 40.7 per 1000 (16/393), and in the top tertile, the rate of thromboembolic stroke was 55.4 per 1000 (21/387), a twofold excess compared with the bottom tertile. After adjustment for age and the residual effects of confounding risk factors, including systolic blood pressure and serum glucose, the estimated relative risk of stroke for the average body mass index in the top tertile (26.6 kg/m2) compared with that in the bottom tertile (20.3 kg/m2) was 2.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 4.1). These findings were not affected by coronary events that occurred in the course of follow-up, nor did they appear to be influenced by deaths from other causes. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that elevated body mass is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic stroke in nonsmoking men in older middle age who are free of commonly observed conditions related to cardiovascular disease.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Elevated serum cholesterol is a risk factor for both coronary heart disease and thromboembolic stroke in Hawaiian Japanese men. Implications of shared risk.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relation between total serum cholesterol level and thromboembolic or nonhemorrhagic stroke is controversial. The Honolulu Heart Program cohort of Japanese-American men provides data which show that elevated serum cholesterol is an independent predictor of thromboembolic stroke as well as coronary heart disease (CHD). The data are presented to suggest that the association of elevated cholesterol with stroke is sometimes underestimated or underreported partly because of competing or shared risk with CHD, the other major atherosclerotic end point. METHODS: The data are based on 6352 men (aged 51 to 74 years) at baseline examination (1971 to 1974) who were free of clinical CHD and stroke and were followed an average of 15 years for new cases of both end points. Relative risks of serum cholesterol for CHD and thromboembolic stroke were calculated, controlling for other major cardiovascular covariates. RESULTS: There was a continuous and progressive increase in both CHD and thromboembolic stroke rates with increasing levels of serum cholesterol. The relative risk between the highest and lowest quartiles of serum cholesterol was 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.0) for CHD and 1.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.9) for thromboembolic stroke. There was a decline in the difference in relative risks between CHD and thromboembolic stroke in older men (aged 60 years and older) compared with younger men (aged younger than 60 years). CONCLUSIONS: These data provide additional evidence that elevated serum cholesterol should be considered a primary risk factor for thromboembolic stroke, presumably through its effect on both coronary and cerebrovascular atherosclerosis. It is suggested that this association is sometimes underestimated or underreported partly because of shared or competing risk with CHD, the clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis that generally occurs earlier in life and with greater frequency than thromboembolic stroke.

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PubMed1994

Glucose intolerance and 22-year stroke incidence. The Honolulu Heart Program.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine whether glucose intolerance and diabetes increase the risk of thromboembolic, hemorrhagic, and total stroke independent of other risk factors. METHODS: Among 7549 Japanese-American men aged 45 to 68 years and free of coronary heart disease and stroke during 1965 to 1968, history of diabetes, diabetic medication, and nonfasting glucose 1 hour after a 50-g load were used to classify subjects into four glucose tolerance categories. Incidence of stroke over 22 years was ascertained using comprehensive hospital-based surveillance. Age- and risk factor-adjusted relative risks of stroke were determined using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: A total of 374 thromboembolic, 128 hemorrhagic, and 36 type-unknown strokes occurred. Incidence of thromboembolic but not hemorrhagic stroke increased with worsening glucose tolerance category. Compared with the "low-normal" (glucose < 151 mg/dL) group, subjects in the "high-normal" (151 to 224 mg/dL), "asymptomatic high" (> or = 225 mg/dL), and "known diabetes" groups all had significantly elevated age-adjusted relative risks of thromboembolic stroke. After adjustment for other risk factors, relative risks remained significantly elevated for the asymptomatic high and known diabetes groups (1.43 and 2.45; 95% confidence intervals, 1.00 to 2.04 and 1.73 to 3.47, respectively). Associations were the same in hypertensive and nonhypertensive subjects and similar but slightly stronger in younger (aged 45 to 54 years) than in older (aged 55 to 68 years) men. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with diabetes and elevated glucose appear to be at increased risk of thromboembolic but not hemorrhagic stroke. These associations were largely independent of other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Excess risk is apparent in older as well as younger diabetic individuals and in hypertensive and nonhypertensive subjects with diabetes.

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PubMed1993

Lipids and lipoproteins as risk factors for coronary heart disease in men with abnormal glucose tolerance: the Honolulu Heart Program.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate lipids and lipoproteins as risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) in older men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) or abnormal glucose tolerance compared with normoglycaemic men. DESIGN: A prospective, population-based cohort study based on the lipoprotein examination (1970-72) of the Honolulu Heart Program. Follow-up was through to December 1988. SETTING: Honolulu, Hawaii. SUBJECTS: Japanese-American men, ages 51-72 at baseline: 2042 with 1 h glucose < 12.5 mmol l-1 (normal group); 376 on oral hypoglycaemic agents or with 1 h glucose > or = 12.5 mmol l-1 after 50 g oral glucose challenge (abnormal glucose tolerance group). None had prevalent coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incident CHD: definite non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) or fatal CHD. RESULTS: There were 221 incident cases in the normal group, and 65 in the abnormal glucose tolerance group. Total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were significant predictors of incident CHD in men with NIDDM or abnormal glucose tolerance after controlling for age, body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, pack-years of cigarettes and alcohol consumption (P < 0.05). Total, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol were significant predictors in normal men, and HDL cholesterol was of borderline significance. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal lipids and lipoproteins are significant, independent predictors of CHD in subjects with NIDDM or abnormal glucose tolerance. Attention to lipid and lipoproteins as CHD risk factors should be part of clinical management of these patients.

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PubMed1992

Light to moderate alcohol consumption and mortality in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a relationship of low to moderate alcohol consumption with cardiovascular mortality in the elderly. DESIGN: Prospective cohort studies with 5-year mortality follow-up. SETTING: Three populations of community-dwelling elders. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based cohorts of men and women, aged 65 or older, in three populations. Subjects with prior myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer, as well as those lacking alcohol consumption data, were excluded from statistical analyses leaving 2,694 subjects in East Boston, Massachusetts, 2,293 subjects in Iowa, and 1,904 subjects in New Haven, Connecticut. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol consumption, total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cancer mortality. RESULTS: Low to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with statistically significant lowered total as well as cardiovascular mortality in East Boston and New Haven. The relative risks of total mortality for low to moderate consumers of alcohol compared to those consuming no alcohol in the previous year were 0.7 (95% CI 0.6-0.8) in East Boston and 0.6 (95% CI 0.5-0.8) in New Haven. For cardiovascular mortality, the RRs were 0.6 in East Boston and 0.5 in New Haven (95% CI's exclude null). These results persisted after control for potential confounding variables. In Iowa, there were no significant differences in total or cardiovascular mortality according to alcohol consumption patterns. For cancer mortality, there were no significant associations with alcohol consumption in any of the three populations. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the relationship of low to moderate alcohol consumption with reduced total and cardiovascular mortality, which are well documented in middle age, also occur in older populations.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Blood pressure and mortality risk in the elderly.

Blood pressure was assessed between 1981 and 1983 in all persons over age 65 years in three communities (East Boston, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; and Iowa and Washington countries, Iowa), and cause-specific mortality was monitored annually over the subsequent 5 years as part of the National Institute on Aging-sponsored Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Each community had 80% or more participation: in East Boston, 3,809 persons with 903 deaths, in New Haven, 2,812 persons with 804 deaths, and in Iowa, 3,673 persons with 763 deaths. At 2 years, odds of death from all causes were higher in the low (less than 130 mmHg) than the middle (130-159 mmHg) systolic blood pressure group for persons aged 65-79 years in all three populations. By 5 years, cardiovascular death increased with increasing systolic pressure in all three communities and reached significance in Iowa. Cancer death was highest in the low systolic pressure stratum in all three centers. All-cause, cardiovascular death, and cancer mortality was highest in the low (less than 75 mmHg) diastolic blood pressure group in East Boston, even at 5 years. Blood pressures obtained 9 years earlier in 2,079 (68%) of the East Boston participants showed a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death with increasing systolic pressure and no relation between diastolic pressure and mortality risk. In the elderly, excess mortality at lower levels of blood pressure during early follow-up may in part be due to the effects of illness and disability present at baseline. This may obscure the usual rise in mortality with increasing systolic pressure. There is no consistent relation between diastolic pressure and mortality.

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PubMed1991

Smoking and mortality among older men and women in three communities.

BACKGROUND: Although cigarette smoking is the leading avoidable cause of premature death in middle age, some have claimed that no association is present among older persons. METHODS: We prospectively examined the relation of cigarette-smoking habits with mortality from all causes, cardiovascular causes, and cancer among 7178 persons 65 years of age or older without a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer who lived in one of three communities: East Boston, Massachusetts; Iowa and Washington counties, Iowa; and New Haven, Connecticut. At the time of the initial interview, prevalence rates of smoking in the three communities ranged from 5.2 to 17.8 percent among women and from 14.2 to 25.8 percent among men. During five years of follow-up there were 1442 deaths, 729 due to cardiovascular disease and 316 due to cancer. RESULTS: In both sexes, rates of total mortality among current smokers were twice what they were among participants who had never smoked. Relative risks, as adjusted for age and community, were 2.1 among the men (95 percent confidence interval, 1.7 to 2.7) and 1.8 among the women (95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.4). Current smokers had higher rates of cardiovascular mortality than those who had never smoked (as adjusted for age and community, the relative risk was 2.0 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.9] among the men and 1.6 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.3] among the women), as well as increased rates of cancer mortality (relative risk, 2.4 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 4.1] among the men and 2.4 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 3.9] among the women). In both sexes, former smokers had rates of cardiovascular mortality similar to those of the participants who had never smoked, regardless of age at cessation, whereas the rates for all cancers, as well as smoking-related cancers, remained elevated among men who had once smoked. CONCLUSIONS: Our prospective findings indicate that the mortality hazards of smoking extend well into later life, and suggest that cessation will continue to improve life expectancy in older people.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1991

Body fat and obesity in Japanese Americans.

In 1965 a prospective study of greater than 12,000 Japanese men 45-69 y old and living in Japan, Hawaii, and California was initiated. Among the factors measured were height, weight, skinfold thicknesses, and 24-h dietary recall. The mean body mass index (BMI) was substantially lower for Japanese men in Japan than for Japanese men in California or Hawaii for each 5-y age group. Mean BMIs in Hawaii and California were similar. Values for subscapular skinfold thickness were also lower in Japan than in Hawaii or California in all age groups. Although total caloric intake was not greatly different between Japan and Hawaii, the percent caloric intake as fat was two times greater in Hawaii. Thus, these largely first- and second-generation immigrants exhibit increases in body weight that could be expected to significantly affect cardiovascular risk factor levels and endpoints.

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PubMed1991

Body fat, coronary heart disease, and stroke in Japanese men.

The Honolulu Heart Program (HHP) is a prospective study of heart disease and stroke in Japanese-American men in Hawaii. Body weight, height, and subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses were measured by using standard methods at the baseline exam held in 1965-1968. The relationship of measures of body fatness to the 20-y follow-up for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke of these men was explored. Body mass index (BMI), subscapular skinfold thicknesses, and centrality index (subscapular skinfold thickness/triceps skinfold thickness) were predictors of CHD in this population, even after other risk factors were added to a multivariate model, indicating an independent contribution of body fat to CHD risk. Neither BMI nor centrality index was related to stroke. However, subscapular skinfold thickness was an independent predictor of stroke. The implications of these findings are that lifestyle changes that lead to an increase in obesity of Japanese men in Hawaii may increase risk for cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Is the serum cholesterol-coronary heart disease relationship modified by activity level in older persons?

Although coronary heart disease remains a leading cause of death and disability in old age, the relationship of serum cholesterol level to risk of coronary heart disease in old age is controversial. Data for 2,388 white persons aged 65-74 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS) were examined to determine the relationship of serum cholesterol level to coronary heart disease incidence and whether activity level would modify this relationship. While there was no overall relationship between serum cholesterol level and coronary heart disease risk in either men or women, the relationship between serum cholesterol level and coronary heart disease differed within activity groups. For persons who were more active, serum cholesterol level was associated with a graded increase in risk of coronary heart disease, from 1.3 (95% CI 0.7, 2.3) in those with serum cholesterol level of 4.7-5.1 to 1.7 in those with serum cholesterol level of 6.2 mmol/L or more (95% CI 1.0, 2.7), when compared with those with serum cholesterol level below 4.7. For the least active persons, all levels of cholesterol were associated with a significant inverse relative risk, including cholesterol of 6.2 mmol/L or more (Relative risk = 0.4 (95% CI 0.2, 0.7]. These data suggest that factors such as activity level may modify the serum cholesterol-coronary heart disease association in old age. The serum cholesterol-coronary heart disease association in more active older persons resembles that seen in younger populations, whereas the association in less active persons is that of serum cholesterol level and risk of cancer or death. The modification of the serum cholesterol-coronary heart disease association by activity level may have implications for appropriate clinical management as well as appropriate design of research studies of this association.

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