Table 1.
Characteristics of the 4,707 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study according to quartiles of plasma free fatty acids1
| Variable | Quartiles of FFA (mEq/L) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (1180) | Q2 (1177) | Q3 (1173) | Q4 (1177) | |
| Age (years) | 74.1 ± 4.9 | 74.7 ± 5.3 | 75.2 ± 5.4 | 75.4 ± 5.6 |
| Men | 61.2% | 46.1% | 34.5% | 25.1% |
| African American | 14.9% | 17.0% | 17.5% | 17.5% |
| Education: High School or > | 77.0% | 72.5% | 73.8% | 68.8% |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.2 ± 4.0 | 26.8 ± 4.6 | 27.1 ± 5.0 | 27.3 ± 5.3 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 96.3 ±11.3 | 97.1 ±13.4 | 97.9 ±13.6 | 98.4 ±14.3 |
| Glucose (mg/dl) | 104.7 ±30.7 | 105.4 ±29.3 | 106.9 ±31.8 | 116.4 ±46.0 |
| Cystatin-C (mg/L) | 1.14 ± 0.38 | 1.11 ± 0.29 | 1.12 ± 0.33 | 1.11 ± 0.37 |
| Albumin (g/dl)f | 3.92 ± 0.27 | 3.96 ± 0.27 | 3.98 ± 0.27 | 4.02 ± 0.27 |
| Physical activity (kcal/d) | 1642 ± 1920 | 1462 ± 1787 | 1329 ± 1612 | 1290 ± 1687 |
| Alcoholic drinks/week | ||||
| None | 50.6% | 54.5% | 55.0% | 58.9% |
| ≤7 | 38.7% | 35.3% | 36.2% | 29.1% |
| >7 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 8.8% | 12.0% |
| Smoking | ||||
| Never | 38.1% | 44.4% | 47% | 52.5% |
| Former | 51.1% | 44.3% | 43.8% | 39.3% |
| Current | 10.9% | 11.3% | 9.2% | 8.2% |
| Estrogen Use | 9.2% | 12.9% | 13.0% | 16.7% |
| Health Status | ||||
| Excellent | 9.2% | 7.6% | 4.8% | 4.8% |
| Very good | 35.3% | 32.8% | 29.7% | 25.5% |
| Good | 37.1% | 40.7% | 45.1% | 43.8% |
| Fair | 16.4% | 17.5% | 18.2% | 22.6% |
| Poor | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.2% | 3.2% |
| Prevalent diabetes mellitus | 12.0% | 12.9% | 14.6% | 21.7% |
| Metabolic syndrome | 38.5% | 43.6% | 48.2% | 55.9% |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 131.7 ± 20.9 | 135.6 ± 21.6 | 137.2 ± 21.4 | 140.8 ± 21.4 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 70.5 ± 10.8 | 71.7 ± 11.2 | 71.2 ± 12.2 | 71.7 ± 11.5 |
| Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dl) | 119 ± 3 | 121 ± 3 | 121 ± 4 | 118 ± 4 |
| High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dl) | 50 ± 1 | 52 ± 1 | 54 ± 2 | 57 ± 2 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 131.6 ± 73.5 | 141.1 ± 79.1 | 148.1 ± 94.9 | 155.7 ± 91.9 |
| Free fatty acids (mEq/L) | 0.27 ± 0.06 | 0.41 ± 0.03 | 0.54 ± 0.04 | 0.76 ± 0.14 |
| Fatty acid binding protein-4 (ng/ml) | 29.7 ± 17.5 | 32.4 ± 17.1 | 35.3 ± 17.7 | 39.5 ± 21.6 |