Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1994 Dec;48(6):549–554. doi: 10.1136/jech.48.6.549

Antioxidant vitamins in the diet: relationships with other personal characteristics in Finland.

R Järvinen 1, P Knekt 1, R Seppänen 1, A Reunanen 1, M Heliövaara 1, J Maatela 1, A Aromaa 1
PMCID: PMC1060030  PMID: 7830008

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The study aimed to reveal associations between dietary antioxidant vitamins and other personal characteristics. DESIGN--Population based, cross sectional survey. SETTING--Twenty seven rural, industrial, and semiurban communities in six different regions of Finland. PARTICIPANTS--Subjects included 5304 men and 4750 women aged 15 years or older, who were interviewed about their dietary habits at the baseline study of the Finnish Mobile Clinic Health Examination Survey, 1967-72. MAIN RESULTS--Intakes of carotenoids and vitamins A, E, and C were estimated from dietary history interviews covering the subjects' food consumption in the preceding year. In older age groups intakes of all the vitamins studied were low. Occupation had a profound effect on dietary antioxidant vitamins: intakes were highest in white collar workers and lowest in farmers; those classified as service workers, industrial workers, or housewives came in between. Current smoking was inversely associated with dietary carotenoids and vitamin C, especially in men. The vitamin intakes of ex-smokers were equal to or even slightly higher than those of never smokers. Married men had higher intakes of carotenoids and vitamin C than men living alone. Body mass index was not an important determinant of the intake of antioxidant vitamins. CONCLUSIONS--The associations of dietary antioxidant vitamins with sociodemographic characteristics and smoking were strong enough to exert a confounding or modifying effect in studies on diet and diseases.

Full text

PDF
549

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aro S., Räsänen L., Telama R. Social class and changes in health-related habits in Finland in 1973-1983. Scand J Soc Med. 1986;14(1):39–47. doi: 10.1177/140349488601400107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baecke J. A., van Staveren W. A., Burema J. Food consumption, habitual physical activity, and body fatness in young Dutch adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983 Feb;37(2):278–286. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/37.2.278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Block G., Sorenson A. Vitamin C intake and dietary sources by demographic characteristics. Nutr Cancer. 1987;10(1-2):53–65. doi: 10.1080/01635588709513940. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Block G., Subar A. F. Estimates of nutrient intake from a food frequency questionnaire: the 1987 National Health Interview Survey. J Am Diet Assoc. 1992 Aug;92(8):969–977. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bolton-Smith C., Smith W. C., Woodward M., Tunstall-Pedoe H. Nutrient intakes of different social-class groups: results from the Scottish Heart Health Study (SHHS). Br J Nutr. 1991 May;65(3):321–335. doi: 10.1079/bjn19910093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bolton-Smith C., Woodward M., Brown C. A., Tunstall-Pedoe H. Nutrient intake by duration of ex-smoking in the Scottish Heart Health Study. Br J Nutr. 1993 Mar;69(2):315–332. doi: 10.1079/bjn19930036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Braddon F. E., Wadsworth M. E., Davies J. M., Cripps H. A. Social and regional differences in food and alcohol consumption and their measurement in a national birth cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1988 Dec;42(4):341–349. doi: 10.1136/jech.42.4.341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Byers T., Perry G. Dietary carotenes, vitamin C, and vitamin E as protective antioxidants in human cancers. Annu Rev Nutr. 1992;12:139–159. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nu.12.070192.001035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cronin F. J., Krebs-Smith S. M., Wyse B. W., Light L. Characterizing food usage by demographic variables. J Am Diet Assoc. 1982 Dec;81(6):661–673. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fehily A. M., Phillips K. M., Yarnell J. W. Diet, smoking, social class, and body mass index in the Caerphilly Heart Disease Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984 Oct;40(4):827–833. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/40.4.827. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fulton M., Thomson M., Elton R. A., Brown S., Wood D. A., Oliver M. F. Cigarette smoking, social class and nutrient intake: relevance to coronary heart disease. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1988 Sep;42(9):797–803. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gaziano J. M., Manson J. E., Buring J. E., Hennekens C. H. Dietary antioxidants and cardiovascular disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 Sep 30;669:249–259. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb17104.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gey K. F. On the antioxidant hypothesis with regard to arteriosclerosis. Bibl Nutr Dieta. 1986;(37):53–91. doi: 10.1159/000412175. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hulshof K. F., Löwik M. R., Kok F. J., Wedel M., Brants H. A., Hermus R. J., ten Hoor F. Diet and other life-style factors in high and low socio-economic groups (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Sep;45(9):441–450. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hulshof K. F., Wedel M., Löwik M. R., Kok F. J., Kistemaker C., Hermus R. J., ten Hoor F., Ockhuizen T. Clustering of dietary variables and other lifestyle factors (Dutch Nutritional Surveillance System). J Epidemiol Community Health. 1992 Aug;46(4):417–424. doi: 10.1136/jech.46.4.417. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Järvinen R., Knekt P., Seppänen R., Heinonen M., Aaran R. K. Dietary determinants of serum beta-carotene and serum retinol. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1993 Jan;47(1):31–41. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Järvinen R., Seppänen R., Knekt P. Short-term and long-term reproducibility of dietary history interview data. Int J Epidemiol. 1993 Jun;22(3):520–527. doi: 10.1093/ije/22.3.520. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kato I., Tominaga S., Suzuki T. Characteristics of past smokers. Int J Epidemiol. 1989 Jun;18(2):345–354. doi: 10.1093/ije/18.2.345. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Knekt P., Seppänen R., Aaran R. K. Determinants of serum alpha-tocopherol in Finnish adults. Prev Med. 1988 Nov;17(6):725–735. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(88)90091-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Knekt P. Vitamin E and smoking and the risk of lung cancer. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 May 28;686:280–288. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb39187.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. La Vecchia C., Negri E., Franceschi S., Parazzini F., Decarli A. Differences in dietary intake with smoking, alcohol, and education. Nutr Cancer. 1992;17(3):297–304. doi: 10.1080/01635589209514199. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McLaughlin P. J., Weihrauch J. L. Vitamin E content of foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 1979 Dec;75(6):647–665. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Murphy S. P., Subar A. F., Block G. Vitamin E intakes and sources in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Aug;52(2):361–367. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/52.2.361. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pao E. M., Mickle S. J., Burk M. C. One-day and 3-day nutrient intakes by individuals--Nationwide Food Consumption Survey findings, Spring 1977. J Am Diet Assoc. 1985 Mar;85(3):313–324. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Prentice A. M., Black A. E., Coward W. A., Davies H. L., Goldberg G. R., Murgatroyd P. R., Ashford J., Sawyer M., Whitehead R. G. High levels of energy expenditure in obese women. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Apr 12;292(6526):983–987. doi: 10.1136/bmj.292.6526.983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Preston A. M. Cigarette smoking-nutritional implications. Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1991;15(4):183–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Schectman G. Estimating ascorbic acid requirements for cigarette smokers. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 May 28;686:335–346. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb39197.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Seppänen R. Mitä suomalainen syö? Duodecim. 1982;98(22):1666–1673. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Stryker W. S., Kaplan L. A., Stein E. A., Stampfer M. J., Sober A., Willett W. C. The relation of diet, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption to plasma beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol levels. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Feb;127(2):283–296. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114804. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Subar A. F., Harlan L. C., Mattson M. E. Food and nutrient intake differences between smokers and non-smokers in the US. Am J Public Health. 1990 Nov;80(11):1323–1329. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.11.1323. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES