Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 590 healthy, normal-weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2) women in the Framingham Offspring and Spouse Study according to diet quality*. (Least squares (LS) means and 95% confidence intervals or percentages)
| Characteristic | Framingham nutritional risk score†
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher diet quality Tertile 1 (n 197)
|
Tertile 2 (n 194)
|
Lower diet quality Tertile 3 (n 199)
|
||||
| LS mean | 95% CI | LS mean | 95% CI | LS mean | 95% CI | |
| Age (years) | 48·2a | 46·8, 49·5 | 46·3a,b | 45·0, 47·6 | 45·7b | 44·4, 47·1 |
| Weight (kg)‡ | 58·9 | 58·0, 59·7 | 58·2 | 57·4, 59·1 | 58·8 | 57·9, 59·6 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22·0 | 21·7, 22·2 | 21·9 | 21·7,22·2 | 22·3 | 22·0, 22·5 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 73·3 | 72·3, 74·3 | 73·5 | 72·4, 74·5 | 75·0 | 74·0, 76·0 |
| Physical activity index§ | 34·1 | 33·5, 34·8 | 33·4 | 32·8, 34·1 | 34·1 | 33·4, 34·7 |
| Current smoker (%) | 14·3a | 19·8a | 41·1b | |||
| Smoking (pack years) | 6·3a | 4·0, 8·5 | 9·8a | 7·5, 12·0 | 15·2b | 12·9, 17·4 |
| Current dieter (%) | 90·2 | 94·3 | 94·8 | |||
| Fluctuating weight (%) | 7·9 | 7·5 | 13·4 | |||
| Postmenopausal (%) | 47·9 | 41·0 | 38·5 | |||
| On hormone replacement therapy (%) | 3·6 | 6·1 | 4·6 | |||
| Parity (no. of births) | 2·3 | 2·1, 2·5 | 2·4 | 2·2, 2·7 | 2·5 | 2·3, 2·7 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 116·5 | 114·6, 118·4 | 117·1 | 115·2, 119·0 | 116·6 | 114·7, 118·5 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 74·2 | 73·0, 75·4 | 74·8 | 73·6, 75·9 | 74·4 | 73·3, 75·6 |
| Hypertension treatment (%) | 7·7 | 9·1 | 8·1 | |||
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l)|| | 5·19 | 5·07, 5·32 | 5·24 | 5·12, 5·36 | 5·29 | 5·17, 5·41 |
| HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1·54 | 1·49, 1·59 | 1·63 | 1·57, 1·68 | 1·59 | 1·54, 1·64 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3·24 | 3·12, 3·35 | 3·23 | 3·11,3·34 | 3·26 | 3·15, 3·38 |
| TAG (mmol/l)¶ | 0·92 | 0·85, 0·98 | 0·86 | 0·79, 0·92 | 0·95 | 0·89, 1·01 |
| Lipid treatment (%) | 0·5 | 0·5 | 0·5 | |||
| Glucose (mmol/l)** | 4·84 | 4·78, 4·91 | 4·82 | 4·76, 4·88 | 4·85 | 4·79, 4·91 |
Values within a row with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (P<0·05).
The general linear model (GLM) procedure in SAS (analysis of covariance) was used to obtain age-adjusted means for continuous variables and to identify subgroups that differed significantly. Logistic regression (SAS procedure LOGISTIC) was used to obtain age-adjusted proportions for dichotomous variables and to identify subgroups that differed significantly. Both sets of analyses used Bonferroni’s correction for each variable.
The risk score was calculated from the consumption of nineteen nutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fibre, Ca, alcohol, total fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, Na, Se, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin E, β-carotene, total energy), which were ranked for each woman in the sample.
To convert kg to pounds, divide by 0·454.
Physical activity index scores range from 24 (total bed rest) up to 120.
To convert mmol/l cholesterol to mg/l, divide by 0·00259.
To convert mmol/l TAG to mg/l, divide by 0·00113.
To convert mmol/l glucose to mg/l, divide by 0·00555.