TABLE 2.
General characteristics and dietary intakes of the TUDA study follow-up sample (n = 557)1
| Males (n = 187) | Females (n = 370) | P value2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | |||
| Age, y | 76.3 (75.7, 77.0) | 75.4 (74.9, 75.9) | 0.018 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.9 (28.3, 29.4) | 27.4 (26.9, 28.0) | <0.001 |
| Waist/hip ratio, cm | 0.98 (0.97, 0.98) | 0.89 (0.89, 0.90) | <0.001 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 8 (4) | 19 (5) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol, units/wk3 | 7.7 (6.0, 9.4) | 2.9 (2.5, 3.4) | <0.001 |
| Dietary intakes | |||
| Energy (MJ/d)4 | 8.170 (7.872, 8.468) | 7.016 (6.842, 7.190) | <0.001 |
| Protein (g/d) | 80.8 (78.3, 83.4) | 72.0 (70.1, 73.9) | <0.001 |
| Fat (g/d) | 73.2 (69.9, 76.5) | 65.5 (63.3, 67.6) | <0.001 |
| Saturated fat (g/d) | 28.9 (27.4, 30.4) | 25.4 (24.4, 26.4) | <0.001 |
| Carbohydrate (g/d) | 226.9 (216.7, 237.0) | 191.2 (185.9, 196.6) | <0.001 |
| Sugars (g/d) | 92.3 (86.9, 97.6) | 86.5 (83.0, 89.9) | 0.072 |
| Fiber (g/d) | 22.0 (21.0, 23.1) | 19.4 (18.8, 20.1) | <0.001 |
| Dietary (poly)phenols5 | mg/d | mg/1000kcals/d | mg/d | mg/1000kcals/d | |
| Total (poly)phenols | 2336 (2204, 2467) | 1281 (1193, 1369) | 2256 (2175, 2337) | 1416 (1357, 1474) | <0.001 |
| Total flavan-3-ols | 608 (556, 650) | 336 (306, 365) | 708 (674, 741) | 435 (413, 457) | <0.001 |
| Total theaflavins + thearubigins | 543 (492, 593) | 301 (276, 334) | 607 (565, 650) | 372 (345, 399) | 0.114 |
| Theaflavins | 72 (65, 79) | 40 (36, 44) | 81 (75, 86) | 49 (46, 53) | 0.047 |
| Thearubigins | 471 (427, 515) | 261 (232, 290) | 527 (490, 564) | 323 (299, 346) | 0.109 |
| Total monomers + proanthocyanidins | 536 (499, 573) | 295 (270, 321) | 627 (598, 656) | 386 (366, 405) | <0.001 |
| Monomers | 316 (289, 342) | 175 (158, 193) | 356 (334, 378) | 220 (206, 235) | 0.002 |
| Proanthocyanidins | 220 (198, 243) | 120 (107, 133) | 271 (253, 289) | 165 (154, 177) | <0.001 |
| Total procyanidins + (epi)catechins | 146 (136, 156) | 80 (73, 87) | 155 (147, 162) | 95 (90, 101) | <0.001 |
| Procyanidins | 86 (80, 92) | 48 (43, 52) | 90 (85, 94) | 55 (52, 58) | 0.004 |
| Total (epi)catechins | 60 (56, 64) | 33 (30, 36) | 65 (62, 68) | 40 (38, 42) | <0.001 |
| Catechins | 23 (21, 25) | 13 (12, 14) | 24 (23, 26) | 15 (14, 16) | <0.001 |
| Epicatechins | 37 (34, 39) | 20 (19, 22) | 41 (39, 43) | 25 (24, 26) | <0.001 |
| Plasma valerolactones (nmol/L)6 | |||||
| PVL1: 5-(Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-VL-sulfate | 34.6 (20.7, 48.5) | 22.8 (18.9, 26.6) | 0.571 | ||
| Detected in cohort, n=496 (89%) | |||||
| PVL2: 5-(4ʹ-Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-VL-3ʹ-glucuronide | 23.5 (17.4, 29.7) | 33.5 (24.6, 42.3) | 0.069 | ||
| Detected in cohort, n=345 (62%) | |||||
| PVL1+2 | 52.0 (35.1, 68.8) | 44.2 (36.2, 52.2) | 0.286 | ||
| Detected in cohort, n=509 (91%) | |||||
| PVL3: 5-(5ʹ-Hydroxyphenyl)-γ-VL-3ʹ-glucuronide | 8.1 (6.1, 10.1) | 10.7 (8.0, 13.3) | 0.244 | ||
| Detected in cohort, n=178 (32%) | |||||
Data presented are mean (95% CI) unless otherwise indicated. This study involved a new analysis of existing samples from the Trinity-Ulster-Department of Agriculture (TUDA) cohort (n = 5186) first sampled from 2008 to 2012 for comprehensive health, but not dietary, data. The TUDA follow-up sample comprises about 20% of the original cohort who were followed up for re-investigation from 2014 to 2018 (n = 953); only participants who provided dietary intake data and a corresponding blood sample (n = 557) are included in this analysis.
Differences in general characteristics between the groups were assessed using independent samples t test (continuous variables) or chi-square test (categorical variables). Differences in dietary and valerolactone data were analyzed by ANCOVA, adjusting for age, on log-transformed data where appropriate. P value for Dietary (poly)phenols refers to values shown as mg/1000kcals/d. P < 0.05 was considered significant.
Alcohol consumer; 1 unit equates to 25 mL spirits, 220 mL beer, or 85 mL wine.
Potential misreporting of dietary energy intake was identified as ±30% of the estimated energy requirement (EER) value for each individual. Using this approach, a total of 32% of participants reported energy intakes that were identified as potential over- or under-reporters (full details shown in Supplementary Table 2).
Dietary (poly)phenol values obtained using a food frequency questionnaire designed specifically to investigate foods containing (poly)phenols, where participants were requested to state the frequency of consumption for food groups or specific products known to contain (poly)phenols.
Plasma valerolactone (PVL) metabolites shown here were present in >30% of the samples analyzed. PVL1+2 refers to participants with detectable PVL1 or PVL2 in plasma, but not necessarily both plasma PVLs.