Table 1. Baseline characteristics of 4657 participants by category of non-esterified fatty acid concentration.
| Non-esterified fatty acids (mEq/L) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range | ≤0.35 | >0.35-0.47 | >0.47-0.61 | >0.61 | |
| Mean | 0.27 | 0.41 | 0.54 | 0.76 | |
| N | 1168 | 1166 | 1161 | 1162 | |
| Characteristics | ptrend* | ||||
| Age (Y) | 74.11±4.85 | 74.70±5.26 | 75.25±5.38 | 75.38±5.55 | <0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.19±3.94 | 26.82±4.60 | 27.13±4.99 | 27.37±5.30 | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 96.32±11.26 | 97.20±13.39 | 98.02±13.60 | 98.44±14.33 | 0.002 |
| Male | 713 (61.0%) | 539 (46.2%) | 401 (34.5%) | 287 (24.7%) | <0.001 |
| African-American | 172 (14.7%) | 196 (16.8%) | 198 (17.1%) | 201 (17.3%) | 0.10 |
| Physical activity (kcal/week) | 1642±1924 | 1455±1763 | 1318±1601 | 1278±1669 | <0.001 |
| HDL-cholesterol (mg/dl) | 49.44±12.81 | 52.12±13.75 | 54.26±14.37 | 56.99±15.47 | <0.001 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mg/dl) | 126.75±32.40 | 128.26±32.80 | 128.69±34.86 | 126.06±35.74 | 0.28 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 131.58±72.93 | 142.12±79.88 | 148.67±95.13 | 155.73±90.96 | <0.001 |
| Prevalent diabetes | 138 (12.0%) | 149 (13.0%) | 166 (14.6%) | 247 (21.7%) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 568 (54.9%) | 619 (59.8%) | 679 (64.9%) | 777 (74.2%) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension medication | 549 (47.0%) | 564 (48.4%) | 583 (50.3%) | 667 (57.5%) | <0.001 |
| Lipid-lowering medication | 97 (8.3%) | 96 (8.2%) | 72 (6.2%) | 87 (7.5%) | 0.20 |
| Statin use | 62 (5.3%) | 65 (5.6%) | 39 (3.4%) | 51 (4.4%) | 0.07 |
| Diabetes medication | 91 (7.8%) | 82 (7.0%) | 96 (8.3%) | 155 (13.4%) | <0.001 |
| Prevalent CHD | 309 (26.5%) | 239 (20.5%) | 235 (20.2%) | 231 (19.9%) | <0.001 |
| Prevalent CHF | 75 (6.4%) | 63 (5.4%) | 64 (5.5%) | 78 (6.7%) | 0.75 |
| Health status | |||||
| Excellent | 105 (9.0%) | 88 (7.5%) | 56 (4.8%) | 56 (4.8%) | |
| Very good | 415 (35.5%) | 382 (32.8%) | 346 (29.8%) | 298 (25.6%) | |
| Good | 435 (37.2%) | 477 (40.9%) | 522 (45.0%) | 508 (43.7%) | |
| Fair | 191 (16.4%) | 201 (17.2%) | 211 (18.2%) | 262 (22.5%) | |
| Poor | 22 (1.9%) | 18 (1.5%) | 26 (2.2%) | 38 (3.3%) | <0.001 |
| Smoking status | |||||
| Never smoker | 444 (38.0%) | 514 (44.1%) | 546 (47.0%) | 610 (52.5%) | |
| Former smoker | 595 (50.9%) | 520 (44.6%) | 507 (43.7%) | 454 (39.1%) | |
| Current smoker | 129 (11.0%) | 132 (11.3%) | 108 (9.3%) | 98 (8.4%) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol consumption | |||||
| None | 592 (50.7%) | 634 (54.4%) | 640 (55.1%) | 684 (58.9%) | |
| <7 drinks/week | 427 (36.6%) | 391 (33.5%) | 394 (33.9%) | 316 (27.2%) | |
| 7+ drinks/week | 149 (12.8%) | 141 (12.1%) | 127 (10.9%) | 162 (13.9%) | 0.05 |
*
Test for trends were conducted using linear regression for continuous variables and a nonparametric test for trend across ordered groups for categorical variables.