Table 2.
Distribution of baseline characteristics and number of deaths according to quintiles of vitamin intake by sex
| Characteristics | Quintiles of vitamin C intake (mg/day) | Quintiles of vitamin E intake (mg/day) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (low) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (high) | p | 1 (low) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (high) | p | |
| Men | ||||||||||||
| Median of vitamin intake | 51.1 | 78.4 | 107.7 | 148.8 | 231.3 | <0.001 | 5.9 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 9.8 | 12.2 | <0.001 |
| No. of subjects | 2528 | 2528 | 2530 | 2527 | 2529 | – | 2531 | 2527 | 2533 | 2524 | 2527 | – |
| No. of all-cause deaths | 422 | 339 | 247 | 267 | 315 | <0.001 | 288 | 290 | 299 | 324 | 389 | <0.001 |
| No. of CVD deaths | 206 | 157 | 93 | 99 | 129 | <0.001 | 108 | 109 | 118 | 145 | 204 | <0.001 |
| No. of cancer deaths | 112 | 103 | 88 | 101 | 123 | ns | 112 | 109 | 106 | 97 | 103 | ns |
| Age, mean (SD) | 58.4 (7.1) | 58.1 (6.9) | 58.0 (7.0) | 58.2 (7.1) | 58.6 (7.1) | <0.05 | 57.8 (7.0) | 58.0 (7.0) | 58.2 (7.1) | 58.3 (7.1) | 59.0 (7.0) | <0.001 |
| Education (%) | ||||||||||||
| Lower | 41.6 | 39.9 | 38.6 | 38.9 | 28.3 | <0.001 | 41.1 | 40.6 | 37.3 | 38.7 | 39.7 | <0.05 |
| Secondary | 36.3 | 32.7. | 33.1 | 32.0 | 32.6 | 32.8 | 34.1 | 34.7 | 33.3 | 31.8 | ||
| University | 22.1 | 274 | 28.3 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 26.2 | 25.3 | 28.0 | 28.0 | 28.5 | ||
| Current smokers (%) | 51.5 | 41.0 | 34.3 | 29.1 | 26.8 | <0.001 | 38.7 | 34.8 | 35.1 | 37.4 | 36.6 | <0.05 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 26.5 (4.4) | 27.4 (4.3) | 27.8 (4.0) | 28.0 (4.0) | 28.4 (4.1) | <0.001 | 27.7 (3.9) | 27.8 (4.1) | 27.7 (4.3) | 27.4 (4.3) | 27.4 (4.5) | <0.01 |
| Alcohol (g/day), median (q1–q3) | 6.6 (1.0–21.9) | 5.0 (0.7–17.2) | 4.5 (0.7–14.9) | 4.4 (0.7–14.9) | 3.8 (0.7–14.9) | <0.001 | 5.0 (0.6–20.9) | 5.0 (0.9–17.1) | 5.0 (0.7–15.7) | 5.0 (0.8–15,8) | 4.8 (0.7–15.4) | ns |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day), mean (SD) | 2436.7 (835.3) | 2386.3 (774.2) | 2348.3 (751.4) | 2305.8 (709.4) | 2333.0 (713.8) | <0.001 | 2392.2 (930.3) | 2378.8 (788.0) | 2345.7 (721.9) | 2372.8 (687.7) | 2320.0 (632.8) | <0.01 |
| Use of supplements with vitamin C (%) | 5.8 | 7.9 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 15.9 | <0.001 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 13.5 | 12.9 | 11.9 | ns |
| Hypertension (%) | 62.7 | 65.9 | 66.7 | 68.6 | 71.6 | <0.001 | 66.3 | 66.0 | 66.5 | 66.4 | 69.7 | <0.05 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 5.9 (1.2) | 5.9 (1.2) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.7 (1.1) | 5.7 (1.1) | <0.001 | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.2) | ns |
| Diabetes (%) | 6.4 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 14.4 | <0.001 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 10.6 | 12.1 | <0.05 |
| History of CVD (%) | 14.5 | 13.4 | 12.0 | 11.1 | 13.3 | <0.01 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 16.3 | <0.001 |
| History of cancer (%) | 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.3 | <0.01 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 | ns |
| Women | ||||||||||||
| Median of vitamin intake | 59.3 | 94.7 | 133.8 | 189.6 | 308.2 | <0.001 | 6.6 | 8.3 | 9.6 | 11.2 | 14.1 | <0.001 |
| No. of subjects | 2871 | 2870 | 2869 | 2870 | 2871 | – | 2868 | 2873 | 2869 | 2867 | 2874 | – |
| No. of all-cause deaths | 187 | 145 | 162 | 144 | 143 | <0.05 | 196 | 154 | 126 | 140 | 165 | <0.001 |
| No. of CVD deaths | 94 | 56 | 60 | 52 | 51 | <0.001 | 68 | 57 | 60 | 56 | 72 | ns |
| No. of cancer deaths | 59 | 55 | 62 | 59 | 68 | ns | 74 | 60 | 50 | 57 | 62 | ns |
| Age, mean (SD) | 58.7 (7.3) | 57.8 (7.1) | 57.4 (7.0) | 57.4 (7.0) | 57.5 (6.9) | <0.001 | 57.7 (7.2) | 57.5 (7.0) | 57.7 (7.0) | 57.7 (7.0) | 58.3 (7.2) | <0.001 |
| Education (%) | ||||||||||||
| Lower | 44.0 | 39.6 | 37.8 | 35.4 | 37.0 | <0.001 | 35.7 | 37.4 | 37.7 | 39.1 | 43.9 | <0.001 |
| Secondary | 37.3 | 38.2 | 40.0 | 40.9 | 41.3 | 41.6 | 40.5 | 40.9 | 39.7 | 35.0 | ||
| University | 18.7 | 22.3 | 22.2 | 23.7 | 21.6 | 22.7 | 22.1 | 21.4 | 21.2 | 21.1 | ||
| Current smokers (%) | 16.3 | 18.9 | 20.1 | 19.0 | 18.7 | <0.01 | 24.9 | 21.0 | 18.6 | 16.3 | 12.2 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 29.5 (5.8) | 29.2 (5.5) | 29.0 (5.2) | 28.6 (5.2) | 28.6 (5.2) | <0.001 | 28.1 (5.1) | 28.6 (5.2) | 28.9 (5.4) | 29.2 (5.4) | 30.0 (5.7) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol (g/day), median (q1–q3) | 0.3 (0.0–1.1) | 0.3 (0.0–1.3) | 0.3 (0.0–1.7) | 0.4 (0.0–2.3) | 0.4 (0.0–2.3) | <0.001 | 0.2 (0.0–1.3) | 0.3 (0.0–1.6) | 0.4 (0.0–2.1) | 0.6 (0.1–2.0) | 0.7 (0.1–1.7) | <0.001 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day), mean (SD) | 2070.8 (715.0) | 2099.7 (680.1) | 2092.5 (664.9) | 2118.6 (636.8) | 2187.2 (670.8) | <0.001 | 2004.2 (798.2) | 2110.7 (686.9) | 2129.4 (658.7) | 2152.0 (621.0) | 2172.4 (577.8) | <0.001 |
| Use of supplements with vitamin C (%) | 11.5 | 15.0 | 18.6 | 20.7 | 23.4 | <0.001 | 22.7 | 21.6 | 24.6 | 24.3 | 21.9 | <0.05 |
| Hypertension (%) | 64.3 | 63.1 | 59.2 | 58.0 | 58.9 | <0.001 | 55.8 | 58.0 | 60.7 | 62.4 | 66.5 | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol, (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 6.4 (1.3) | 6.2 (1.2) | 6.1 (1.2) | 6.0 (1.2) | 6.0 (1.1) | <0.001 | 6.0 (1.1) | 6.1 (1.2) | 6.1 (1.2) | 6.2 (1.3) | 6.3 (1.3) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes (%) | 7.1 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 9.3 | <0.05 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 8.2 | 9.5 | ns |
| History of CVD (%) | 8.6 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 5.5 | <0.001 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 7.6 | ns |
| History of cancer (%) | 4.6 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 7.5 | <0.001 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 6.0 | ns |
| Characteristics | Quintiles of beta-carotene intake (ug/day) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (low) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (high) | p | |
| Men | ||||||
| Median of vitamin intake | 2897.2 | 4559.7 | 6495.0 | 8879.4 | 12,730.7 | <0.001 |
| No. of subjects | 2528 | 2529 | 2529 | 2528 | 2528 | – |
| No. of all-cause deaths | 296 | 266 | 315 | 322 | 391 | <0.001 |
| No. of CVD deaths | 115 | 100 | 138 | 143 | 188 | <0.001 |
| No. of cancer deaths | 120 | 93 | 109 | 97 | 108 | ns |
| Age, mean (SD) | 57.4 (6.9) | 57.7 (7.1) | 57.9 (7.1) | 58.7 (7.0) | 59.5 (7.0) | <0.001 |
| Education (%) | ||||||
| Lower | 43.3 | 39.4 | 37.5 | 38.5 | 38.6 | <0.001 |
| Secondary | 31.4 | 33.9 | 35.7 | 34.2 | 31.4 | |
| University | 25.3 | 26.7 | 26.8 | 27.3 | 30.0 | |
| Current smokers (%) | 37.9 | 33.9 | 36.4 | 37.7 | 36.8 | <0.05 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 27.7 (4.1) | 27.8 (4.2) | 27.5 (4.2) | 27.5 (4.1) | 27.4 (4.5) | <0.05 |
| Alcohol (g/day), median (q1–q3) | 7.0 (1.0–23.5) | 5.8 (0.8–20.3) | 4.9 (0.7–15.4) | 4.3 (0.7–15.2) | 3.1 (0.4–12.0) | <0.001 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day), mean (SD) | 2288.0 (838.1) | 2321.9 (826.9) | 2524.7 (799.4) | 2444.7 (710.5) | 2230.4 (544.9) | <0.001 |
| Use of supplements with vitamin C (%) | 13.9 | 14.1 | 13.5 | 11.1 | 11.3 | <0.01 |
| Hypertension (%) | 66.6 | 68.9 | 65.0 | 66.6 | 68.0 | ns |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.8 (1.2) | 5.8 (1.1) | 5.9 (1.1) | <0.05 |
| Diabetes (%) | 8.9 | 10.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | <0.05 |
| History of CVD (%) | 10.7 | 11.1 | 11.7 | 13.1 | 17.6 | <0.001 |
| History of cancer (%) | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.4 | ns |
| Women | ||||||
| Median of vitamin intake | 3446.9 | 5718.7 | 8206.0 | 10,978.2 | 15,033.9 | <0.001 |
| No. of subjects | 2871 | 2869 | 2870 | 2871 | 2870 | – |
| No. of all-cause deaths | 160 | 159 | 154 | 146 | 162 | ns |
| No. of CVD deaths | 59 | 60 | 63 | 52 | 79 | ns |
| No. of cancer deaths | 71 | 59 | 57 | 55 | 61 | ns |
| Age, mean (SD) | 56.8 (7.0) | 57.2 (7.0) | 58.0 (7.0) | 57.8 (7.1) | 59.1 (7.0) | <0.001 |
| Education (%) | ||||||
| Lower | 39.7 | 38.5 | 37.8 | 37.3 | 40.4 | <0.001 |
| Secondary | 40.9 | 40.0 | 40.8 | 39.8 | 36.2 | |
| University | 19.4 | 21.5 | 21.4 | 22.9 | 23.4 | |
| Current smokers (%) | 24.4 | 20.8 | 19.9 | 14.8 | 13.0 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 28.2 (5.2) | 28.6 (5.2) | 28.9 (5.3) | 29.4 (5.6) | 29.8 (5.6) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol (g/day), median (q1–q3) | 0.6 (0.0–2.5) | 0.5 (0.0–2.5) | 0.3 (0.0–1.7) | 0.4 (0.1–1.4) | 0.3 (0.0–1.0) | <0.001 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day), mean (SD) | 1940.4 (745.2) | 2185.4 (726.7) | 2194.8 (706.6) | 2287.4 (588.1) | 1960.9 (505.3) | <0.001 |
| Use of supplements with vitamin C (%) | 24.6 | 24.8 | 23.5 | 20.9 | 21.2 | ns |
| Hypertension (%) | 55.1 | 57.7 | 59.8 | 62.3 | 68.4 | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol, (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 6.0 (1.1) | 6.1 (1.2) | 6.1 (1.2) | 6.2 (1.2) | 6.3 (1.3) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes (%) | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 10.6 | <0.01 |
| History of CVD (%) | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 8.6 | <0.001 |
| History of cancer (%) | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 6.2 | ns |
ns not significant, p > 0.05